Vesico-vaginal fistula is a debilitating, humiliating, and life-threatening result of obstructed labor. Fistula used to be present in the U.S. and Europe, but was largely eliminated in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century with improved obstetric care in general and the use of c-sections in particular to relieve obstructed labor.

A fistula, pronounced FISS-CHA-LA, is among the most common complications of FtM sex change procedures. Sometimes called a "fistulotomy", it can result from injury, surgery, infection or inflammation. It is an unintentional passageway from a vessel, body structure or hollow organ (such as a penis or neophallus) which enables passage of bodily fluids to the outer surface of the person's body or to another organ or area of the body.

Obstetric fistula is an injury of childbearing that has been relatively neglected, despite the devastating impact it has on the lives of girls and women. It is usually caused by several days of obstructed labour, without timely medical intervention — typically a Caesarean section to relieve the pressure. The consequences of fistula are life shattering: The baby usually dies, and the woman is left with chronic incontinence.

Fistulas, or holes in organs, can occur for various reasons in different parts of the body, such as the lungs or digestive tract. Tissue damage resulting from prolonged obstetric labour and resulting in incontinence is called 'obstetric fistula'. Tissue damage between the bladder and vagina is called vesicovaginal fistula. Rectovaginal fistula, which is less common, refers to damage between the rectum and vagina.

Fistula is most common in poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where access to or use of obstetric care is limited. Good data on fistula are scarce. In 1989, the World Health Organization estimated that more than two million women remain untreated in developing countries and that at least 50,000 to 100,000 new cases occur each year. But the secrecy and shame that surround the condition make it difficult to get a reliable estimate of its prevalence.

Prevention, rather than treatment, is the key to ending fistula. Making family planning available to all who want to use it would reduce maternal disability and death by at least 20 per cent. Complementing that with skilled attendance at all births and emergency obstetric care for those women who develop complications during delivery would make fistula as rare in the South as it is in the North. These interventions are part of UNFPA's overall strategy to make motherhood safer.

Yes. An obstetric fistula can be closed with intravaginal surgery. If her surgery is performed by a skilled surgeon, a fistula patient has a good chance of returning to a normal life with full control of her bodily functions. The Fistula Hospital has a 93% success/cure rate.

A fistula results from an obstructed labor that is left unrelieved and untreated. It is estimated that 5% of all pregnant women worldwide will experience obstructed labor. In the United States and other affluent countries, emergency obstetric care is readily available. In many developing countries where there are few hospitals, few doctors, and poor transportation systems, and where women are not highly valued, obstructed labor often results in death of the mother.

In 2003, UNFPA and its partners launched the first-ever global Campaign to End Fistula. Its overall goal is to make the condition as rare in the South as it is in the North. This includes interventions to: Renew the hopes and dreams of those who suffer from the condition. This includes bringing it to the attention of policy-makers and communities, thereby reducing the stigma associated with it, and helping women who have undergone treatment return to full and productive lives.

Unattended obstructed labour can last for up to six or seven days, although the foetus usually dies after two or three days. During the prolonged labour, the soft tissues of the pelvis are compressed between the descending baby's head and the mother's pelvic bone. The lack of blood flow causes tissue to die, creating a hole between the mother's vagina and bladder (known as a vesicovaginal fistula), or between the vagina and rectum (causing a rectovaginal fistula) or both.

Fistula is a relatively hidden problem, largely because it affects the most marginalized members of society: young, poor, illiterate women in remote areas. Many never present themselves for treatment. Because they often suffer alone, their terrible injuries may be ignored or misunderstood. The Campaign to End Fistula is working to break the silence around this condition and the stigma attached to it.

Left untreated, fistula can lead to frequent ulcerations and infections, kidney disease and even death. Some women drink as little as possible to avoid leakage and become dehydrated. Damage to the nerves in the legs leaves some women with fistula unable to walk, and after treatment they may need extensive physical rehabilitation. These medical consequences, coupled with social and economic problems, often contribute to a general decline in health and well being that results in early death.

There is a common confusion about the procedures possible through laparoscopic method. We are getting letters from many patients asking about laparoscopic procedure for hydrocoele, Fistula ano, abscesses, and even for procedure like circumcision, mastectomy, cysts and abortion. It should be understand clearly that minimal access surgery is possible inside hollow closed cavities of the body, like abdomen and chest.

a result of the long labor, the baby almost always dies. The injury leaves the mother leaking urine and or feces uncontrollably from the vagina. In addition, the constant leaking of urine can lead to blistering of the genital area. Prolonged labor may also cause a condition known as "foot drop" - extreme nerve damage to the lower limbs - making it difficult or impossible for women to walk.