Obstetric fistula (or vaginal fistula) is a severe medical condition in which a fistula (hole) develops between either the rectum and vagina (see rectovaginal fistula) or between the bladder and vagina (see vesicovaginal fistula) after severe or failed childbirth, when adequate medical care is not available.

was very common

virtually disappeared

improvements in obstetrical care

does not exist in places that discourage early marriage, education of women and their bodies is encouraged and provided, and women have access to family planning and skilled medical teams to assist during childbirth

parts of Africa, India, and neighboring Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nepa

prolonged labor presses the unborn child so tightly in the birth canal that blood flow is cut off to the surrounding tissues, which necrotise and eventually rot away

More rarely, the injury can be caused by female circumcision, poorly performed abortions, or pelvic fractures.

sexual abuse and rape

conflict/post-conflict