Worldwide obstructed labor occurs in an estimated 5% of live births and accounts for 8% of maternal deaths. Obstetric fistula are predominately caused by a very long, or obstructed, labor which can last several days or even sometimes, over a week before the women receives obstetric care or dies. Globally, over 300 million women currently suffer from short- or long-term complications arising from pregnancy or childbirth, with around 20 million new cases arising every year. This review provides essential, factual background information along with guiding principles for clinical management and program development. We hope to contribute to the development of more effective services for women under treatment for fistula repair. We hope our efforts advance effective programs for eliminating obstetric fistula. Most of all, however, we hope that the contents will motivate future research that will further enhance the understanding of reproductive health.Read More

The United Nations is an organization of sovereign States and not a world government. It is an international organization comprising 192 Member States. As the "town hall of global affairs", its work affects our life every day. Clearly no single organization can solve crisis of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Its causes are incredibly complex, and its solution requires more than good obstetrical care alone. The United Nations is irreplaceable as a forum for international dialogue. Global issues require global action and global initiatives involving both from industrialized and developing countries. Building strategic and coordinated responses to this tragedy is the way forward. The need to take a fresh look at development aid is vital. This manual is intended to be a practical guide to be read and used at many different levels by many different people, especially health-care professionals and planners, policy-makers and community leaders.Read More

The social consequences of ostracism take an enormous toll on affected women; divorce is common, and depression and suicide may follow. Many women are unaware that the condition is treatable, and are prevented from learning about appropriate care by severe social isolation as a result of their incontinence. In the first half of the twentieth century, obstetricians in India considered Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) as a hopeless condition.Read More