"The sun keeps rising but darkness surrounds us": a qualitative exploration of the lived experiences of women with obstetric fistula in Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Obstetric fistula is a hole between the vagina and bladder, and/or between the vagina and rectum, triggered by prolonged obstructed labor. The World Health Organization has estimated that at least 50,000 to 100,000 cases of obstetric fistula occur every year, and that over two million women with obstetric fistula in developing countries remain untreated. Research on women's lived experiences of obstetric fistula is limited. This study aimed to explore the lived experience of women with obstetric fistula at Bahir Dar Hamlin Fistula Center, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia.

Methods

A qualitative study design, drawing from a phenomenological approach, was employed to explore the lived experience of purposively-selected sample of ten women with obstetric fistula. In-de

SUBMITTER: Animut M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6390300 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature