The Prevalence and Impact of Obstetric Fistula on Women of Kaptembwa, Nakuru Kenya
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Date
2014Author
Kimani, Zipporah Muthoni
Ogutu, Omondi
Kibe, Anthony
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Despite of increased attention on maternal health in recent decades, the disability and suffering of
obstetric
fistula patients remains a neglected issue in global health. Most instructive in this respect, is t
he continuous
leakage of urine as well as the
physical, emotional and social suffering associated with it, which has a profound
impact on women and men’s livelihoods. Considering the suffering of families associated with this d
isease, it was
found imperative to evaluate the prevalence of obstetric f
istula on women of Kaptembwa Nakuru, and appraise
the impact on the well
-
being of women and how their experiences have shaped their identities and families. The
study was conducted using cross sectional study with qualitative and quantitative components t
o explore the
prevalence, experiences and impact of obstetric fistula. Grounded Theory was used to investigate the
prevalence
of obstetric fistula in kaptembwa and explore how the condition has impacted on the affected women a
nd their
families.
Obstetric
fistula
prevails amongst
women
aged between 25
-
39 years. The injury may occur
at
either
the
first
(28%), second (23.9%), third (19.7%) or fourth (28 %) pregnancies. The difficulty of assessing the
exact
numbers of women affected with obstetric fistula w
as attributed to it being
a
n embarrassing and humiliating
medical
condition in our communities
, which leads the affected women into silent isolation.
Obstetric fistula has
far reaching effects on physical, social, economic and psychological impact on affe
cted women, their husbands,
children and friends. The foul odor emanating from affected women leads to humiliation; sever socia
l
-
cultural
stigmatization and thus, inability to perform their gender roles. Hindrance from participating in ga
inful income
acti
vities has led them into despair and begging. In order to combat this debilitating disease, communit
y
education that informs on the potentially risks of obstetric fistula particularly amongst people res
iding in rural
areas and informal settlements areas is
a must. Essential information includes danger signs during delivery and
rapid access to caesarean section delivery for cases of obstructed delivery. Access to affordable f
istula repair
must also be provided in the County health centers.
Citation
Kimani, Zipporah Muthoni, Omondi Ogutu, and Anthony Kibe. "The Prevalence and Impact of Obstetric Fistula on Women of Kaptembwa–Nakuru, Kenya." International Journal of Applied 4.3 (2014).Publisher
University of Nairobi,
Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10377]