Eritrea: Advocates Battle Obstetric Fistula

Fistula is a condition caused by difficult, protracted labor in which the fetus' head presses against the mother's pelvis so hard that it cuts off the blood supply to the area and kills the surrounding tissue. The result is a small, abnormal pipe-like opening, or "fistula," usually between the bladder and the vagina, that causes the woman to leak urine and stool uncontrollably. Surgery to repair a fistula usually only takes about 15 minutes, but in parts of the world where poverty has limited or eliminated women's access to natal care, the fistula problem is dire.