Surgery: A Cure for Fistula, But Also a Cause

Four maternal health experts come together to examine how fistula, while known to be treatable by surgery, is also caused by unsafe surgical techniques, and what the global health community can do about it. Originally published on Dec 27, 2017 on News Deeply.  GIVING BIRTH IN low-resource settings comes with substantial risks to mothers and newborns. Women who […]

Upcoming FCoP Webinar on Cesarean Section Safety and Quality in Low-Resource Settings

Please join the Fistula Community of Practice (FCoP) on November 9, 2017 at 9:30 am Eastern Daylight Time for a webinar sharing highlights from a recent technical consultation on cesarean section safety and quality in low-resource settings. Cesarean section provision has expanded rapidly in low/middle-income countries (LMIC). While this includes needed growth in emergency obstetric […]

First Ladies Move to Eliminate Obstetric Fistula and Protect Child Rights in West Africa

Original report by ECOWAS Niamey, 5 October 2017. First Ladies of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have affirmed their resolve to eliminate obstetric fistula, female genital mutilation, as well as gender-, female- and youth-based violence. The commitment was made at the end of their forum held in Niamey, Niger on 5 October 2017. […]

Bixby Center at UCSF publishes preliminary validation of post-fistula repair reintegration instrument

Article originally published in Reproductive Health (2017) 14:109. Authors: Alison El Ayadi; Hadija Nalubwama; Justus Barageine; Torsten B. Neilands; Susan Obore; Josaphat Byamugisha; Othman Kakaire; Haruna Mwanje; Abner Korn; Felicia Lester; Suellen Miller. Obstetric fistula is a debilitating and traumatic birth injury affecting 2–3 million women globally, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Affected women […]

Fatima’s Story

Authored by Zoë Connor (Health Research Intern, USAID) At 18, Fatima looks like any other mother-to-be – excited for her baby to be born and to start a new chapter of her life. Yet this is not Fatima’s first pregnancy. Married young and pregnant by 15, Fatima suffered a prolonged and obstructed labor with her […]