Obstetric Fistulas. Holy F Balls, Why aren't We Talking about This?

Today, we are talking about obstetric fistulas, because it is unacceptable that up to 2 million women are suffering from them worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. In order for you to understand why I am so horrified, let me bust out some obstetric fistula information. 

-          According to the Our Bodies Ourselves HealthResource Center:

o   An obstetric fistula occurs when a woman must carry out prolonged labor (think five days or more), due to a lack of access to medical care.

o   During this labor, the baby’s head becomes stuck against the mother’s pelvic bone, causing the tissue between the vaginal wall and the bladder and/or the tissue between the vaginal wall and the rectum to disintegrate.

o   This leads to stillborn births in many cases and leads women to uncontrollably leak urine and feces in all cases.

o   Obstetric fistulas can be repaired with a relatively simple procedure to close the holes left by the disintegrated tissue. This surgery has a 90% healing rate.

o   In spite of this, women suffering from fistulas are often shunned by their husbands and their communities; leaving them to fend for themselves.  

While abortion and child birth are common parts of our American language, obstetric fistulas are not. This is because we live in a comfortable part of the world where women can access cesarean sections in an emergency. Through the World Health Organization’s research, we know that this is not the case for women living in extreme poverty in Africa or South Asia, where most survivors are living. Medical care is difficult to access and expensive in these areas. Women are also typically dependent on husbands and undervalued in these cultures, so families have little incentive to help them. It is easier to shun them, force them to leave the community, and find a new wife who can carry on the birthing process.

I am not okay with this. Luckily, there are organizations that are doing good work to prevent women from suffering from obstetric fistulas and helping those who already have them. Here are a few of them:

1. The World Health Organization – Doing research about fistulas and creating programs to prevent them
2. The Campaign to End Fistula – Bringing awareness, funding, policy change, and collaborative work to countries most affected. They have a great video here.
3. Engender Health – Creates programs that offer medical supplies and trained staff to increase maternal health
4. Hamlin Fistula Foundation – Funds the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, which works to prevent and repair fistulas and provide a community of support to survivors. PBS did a great documentary about the hospital, which you can find here. 

- Lauren, putting a spotlight on a serious world problem