Profiles and experiences of women undergoing genital fistula repair: Findings from five countries

This article presents data from 1354 women from five countries who participated in a prospective cohort study conducted between 2007 and 2010. Women undergoing surgery for fistula repair were interviewed at the time of admission, discharge, and at a 3-month follow-up visit. While women's experi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global public health 2013-08, Vol.8 (8), p.926-942
Main Authors: Landry, Evelyn, Frajzyngier, Vera, Ruminjo, Joseph, Asiimwe, Frank, Barry, Thierno Hamidou, Bello, Abubakar, Danladi, Dantani, Ganda, Sanda Oumarou, Idris, Sa'ad, Inoussa, Maman, Kanoma, Bashir, Lynch, Maura, Mussell, Felicity, Podder, Dulal Chandra, Wali, Abba, Mielke, Erin, Barone, Mark A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Admission
Admissions
Adult
Bangladesh
Body
Cohort analysis
Developing countries
Discharge
Education
Families & family life
Family
Female
Fistula - physiopathology
Fistula - surgery
genital fistula
Guinea
Humans
Husbands
Interviews as Topic
Medical treatment
Middle Aged
Niger
Nigeria
Obstetric Labor Complications - physiopathology
Obstetric Labor Complications - surgery
Patient admissions
patient characteristics
Pregnancy
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life
Repairs
Reproductive health
Risk Factors
Social support
socio-cultural factors
Surgery
Uganda
Women
Women's health
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Summary:This article presents data from 1354 women from five countries who participated in a prospective cohort study conducted between 2007 and 2010. Women undergoing surgery for fistula repair were interviewed at the time of admission, discharge, and at a 3-month follow-up visit. While women's experiences differed across countries, a similar picture emerges across countries: women married young, most were married at the time of admission, had little education, and for many, the fistula occurred after the first pregnancy. Median age at the time of fistula occurrence was 20.0 years (interquartile range 17.3-26.8). Half of the women attended some antenatal care (ANC); among those who attended ANC, less than 50% recalled being told about signs of pregnancy complications. At follow-up, most women (even those who were not dry) reported improvements in many aspects of social life, however, reported improvements varied by repair outcome. Prevention and treatment programmes need to recognise the supportive role that husbands, partners, and families play as women prepare for safe delivery. Effective treatment and support programmes are needed for women who remain incontinent after surgery.
ISSN:1744-1692
1744-1706
DOI:10.1080/17441692.2013.824018