Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF)
A vesicovaginal fistula is an abnormal opening that forms between the bladder and the wall of the vagina or in simpler terms, it is a hole in your vagina that allows urine to pass through your vagina.
It is a serious disability that can be experienced by women after childbirth.
A common cause of this is obstructed labour which is a case when the mother is contracting normally in labour but the baby isn’t coming out because some certain factors are preventing it.
This is mostly common in young pregnant girls with small pelvis. When this occurs, it can lead to the labour being prolonged and hence cause some changes which can result in a hole which creates a communication between the vagina and bladder(where urine is stored).
Some certain socioeconomic risk factors have been linked to this, especially in northern Nigeria which includes early marriage, poverty which leads to deliveries in poor health care facilities, and lack of women’s control over the use of family resources.
Women and girls with this disability are often abandoned by their husbands and isolated from the community due to the smell and associated shame of urine leakage.
However, this type of disability can be avoided by
- changing the attitudes of the community towards women
- Give women more opportunities in the community,
- educate women about healthy practices.
- Prevent child marriages
- Having pregnant women register early for ANC in accredited hospitals and deliver in these hospitals.
- For people who already have this condition, understanding and support of husbands and the community is needed in order for them to be restored to good health.
You can chat with the doctor here on the app if you are experiencing VVF
