Double burden of tragedy: stillbirth and obstetric fistula

Fistula recurrence, pregnancy, and childbirth following successful closure of female genital fistula in Guinea: a longitudinal study

“…That women who already developed and lived with genital fistula had subsequent high incidences of stillbirth and fistula recurrence in a following pregnancy is very concerning. Loss of a child during the delivery associated with fistula is a traumatic experience; 16,17 a repeated infant loss after repair is even more of a human and public health tragedy. 9,17 Our findings show the need for interventions that will prevent occurrence of female genital fistula in women of childbearing potential and improve the health of those who receive treatment.…”

“…10–13 After successful fistula repair, many women of reproductive age 6 return to their communities with the hope of resuming their social roles, including conceiving again, possibly to compensate for the traumatic loss they experienced during the delivery that led to the fistula. 10,14–17…”

Factors associated with stillbirth in selected countries of South Asia: A systematic review of observational studies

“…Annually, stillbirth is estimated to occur in 2.6 million pregnancies worldwide [ 2 , 3 ]; and of these, 98% are reported from low-middle income countries with prematurity, intrapartum complications and infections being the leading causes of these untimely deaths [ 4 , 5 ]. About 1.4 million stillbirths occur during labor and birth [ 4 ] which could be easily prevented; but due to poor infrastructure, lack of qualified health care providers, and poor quality of antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, this has not been possible in low resource settings [ 6 , 7 ]. In most developing countries, in the absence of cost-recovery mechanisms, stillbirth is a significant health and economic loss, largely due to direct healthcare costs incurred during medical investigations; long-term mental health impacts on grieving parents; and adverse health consequences on surviving siblings [ 8 – 11 ].…”

Social Experiences of Women with Obstetric Fistula Seeking Treatment in Kampala, Uganda

“…4,5 The delivery often additionally results in a stillbirth, leading to a devastating combination. 6,7 Development of health care systems that provide obstetric care for all women in higher-income countries has largely eliminated this tragic condition. But obstetric fistula persists in lower-income countries where less comprehensive services are available.…”