OBSTETRIC FISTULA

Obstetric fistula is a severe medical condition in which a fistula develops in the vagina after severe or failed childbirth, when adequate medical care is not available. The resulting disorders typically include incontinence, severe infections, and often paralysis. Sufferers from this disorder are usually also subject to severe social stigma.

Pregnancy is riskiest earliest in life. According to the UN, in 2002 over 100,000 women were at risk of obstetric fistula each year, and over 2 million women have already been injured and stigmatized.

External links

• http://www.unfpa.org/issues/factsheets/fistula_defining.htm
• http://www.fistulahospital.org/
• http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/global/immigration/02120901.htm