This book applies a multi-disciplinary lens to examine obstetric fistula, a childbirth injury that results from prolonged, obstructed labor. While obstetric fistula can be prevented with emergency obstetric care, it continues to occur primarily in resource-limited settings. In this volume, specialists in the anthropological, psychological, public health, and biomedical disciplines, as well as health policy experts and representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations discuss a scoping overview on obstetric fistula, including prevention, treatment, and reducing stigma for survivors.  This comprehensive resource is useful in understanding the risk factors, epidemiology, and social, psychological, and medical effects of obstetric fistula.
Topics explored include:A Human Rights Approach Toward Eradicating Obstetric FistulaObstetric Fistula: A Case of Miscommunication Social Experiences of Women with Obstetric FistulaClassification of Female Genital Tract FistulasTraining and Capacity-Building in the Provision of Fistula Treatment ServicesDesigning Preventive Strategies for Obstetric FistulaSexual Function in Women with Obstetric FistulaSocial and Reproductive Health of Women After Obstetric Fistula RepairMaking the Case for Holistic Fistula CareAddressing Mental Health in Obstetric Fistula PatientsPhysical Therapy for Women with Obstetric FistulaA Multidisciplinary Approach to Obstetric Fistula in Africais designed for professional use by NGOs, international aid organizations, governmental and multilateral agencies, healthcare providers, public health specialists, anthropologists, and others who aim to improve maternal health across the globe. Although the books geographic focus is Africa, it may serve as a useful resource for individuals who aim to address obstetricfistula in other settings. The book may also be used as an educational tool in courses/programs that focus on Global Health, Maternal and Child Health, Epidemiology, Medical Anthropology, Gender/Women's Studies, Obstetrics, Global Medicine, Nursing, and Midwifery.

Laura Briggs Drew, PhD, MPH received her PhD in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Maryland (UMD) School of Public Health in College Park. She was appointed as a Maternal and Child Health Student Fellow with the American Public Health Association in 2016-2017. Laura completed her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Interdisciplinary Specialization in Global Health at The Ohio State University. Prior to UMD, she worked with University of North Carolina Project-Malawi on various research studies that aimed to improve the quality of life for women with obstetric fistula at the Freedom from Fistula Foundations Fistula Repair Centre at Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. Lauras primary research interests focus on the intersection of human rights and reproductive, maternal, and child health outcomes. Her research focuses on birth outcomes, intimate partner violence, female genital cutting, sexual health, infertility, infectious diseases, and gender inequality. Lauras research has been published in numerous public health journals, includingWomens Reproductive Health,BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth,American Journal of Preventive Medicine,PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases,andJournal of Womens Health. Lauras work has received support and recognition from multiple institutions, including the Maryland Population Research Center and the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health.

Bonnie Ruder, PhD, MPH, CPM holds a PhD in Applied Medical Anthropology and a Master in Public Health in International Health from Oregon State University. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of Terrewode Womens Fund, a US-based non-profit organization; a senior research consultant with the International Fistula Alliance; and sits on the Board of Governors for Terrewode Womens Community Hospital. She conducts research on maternal health and obstetric fistula and has worked on projects in Uganda, Somalia, The Gambia, Zimbabwe and the USA. Her research focuses on obstetric fistula, residual incontinence post-fistula repair, maternal and infant health, reproductive justice, traditional birth attendants, social justice and systems of oppression, and community-engaged research. Bonnie is a licensed midwife with over 20 years experience, working primarily in the USA. She has also attended births in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and at a referral hospital in Soroti, Uganda. Her current research examines the COVID-19 pandemics impact on gender and maternal health in Uganda.

David A. Schwartz, MD, MS Hyg, FCAP has an educational background in Anthropology, Medicine, Emerging Infections, Maternal Health, and Medical Epidemiology& Public Health. He has professional and research interests in reproductive health, diseases of pregnancy, and maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in both resource-rich and resource-poor countries. In the field of Medicine, his subspecialties include Obstetric, Placental& Perinatal Pathology as well as Emerging Infections. An experienced author, editor, investigator and consultant, Dr. Schwartz has long experience investigating the anthropological, biomedical and epidemiologic aspects of pregnancy and its complications as they affect society, in particular among indigenous populations and when they involve emerging infections. Dr. Schwartz has been a recipient of many grants, was a Pediatric AIDS Foundation Scholar, and has organized and directed national and international projects involving maternal health, perinatal infectious diseases, and placental pathology for such agencies as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and the United States Agency for International Development, as well as for the governments of other nations. He has published 3 previous books on pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality, the first in 2015 entitledMaternal Mortality: Risk Factors,Anthropological Perspectives, Prevalence in Developing Countries and Preventive Strategies for Pregnancy-Related Deaths; a book published in 2018 entitledMaternal Death and Pregnancy-Related Morbidity Among Indigenous Women of Mexico and Central America: An Anthropological, Epidemiological and Biomedical Approach;and in 2019 a book entitled Pregnant in the Time of Ebola. Women and Their Children in the 2013-2015 West African Epidemic. Dr. Schwartz is the editor of the Springer book seriesGlobal Maternal and Child Health: Medical, Anthropological and Public Health Perspectives,of which this book is a volume. He has been involved with maternal, fetal and neonatal aspects of such epidemic infections as HIV, Zika and Ebola viruses, and is currently researching these issues with the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Schwartz serves on the Editorial Boards of several international journals and was formerly Clinical Professor of Pathology at the Medical Collegeof Georgia of Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia.

Introduction to Obstetric Fistula: A Multidisciplinary Approach to a Preventable Childbirth Tragedy.- A Human Rights Approach toward Eradicating Obstetric Fistula: Expanding Data Collection, Prevention, Treatment, and Continuing Support for Women and Girls Who Have Been Neglected.- Archaeological Basis for Obstetrical Fistula: A Condition That is as Ancient as Human Themselves.- Obstetric Fistula in Context.- Co-occurrence of Obstetric Fistula and Stillbirth in Sub-Saharan Africa.- A Multidisciplinary Approach to Obstetric Fistula in Africa: Public Health, Sociological and Medical Perspectives.- Women Who Lose Their Lives While Giving Life: Exploring Obstetric Fistula As a Public Health Problem in Kenya.- Obstetric Fistula:  A Case of Miscommunication. Social Experiences of Women with Obstetric Fistula.- The Experience of Childbirth and Obstetric Fistula: Perspectives of Women in Northern Ghana.- The Experiences of Women Living with Obstetric Fistula in Burkina Faso: FromDelivery to Social Reinsertion.- Girls and Womens Social Experiences with Obstetric Fistula in Tanzania: A Public Health Problem.- Physical, Psychological and Social Assessments of Fistula Recovery Among Women in Nigeria and Uganda.- Socio-Economic and Healthcare Causes of Obstetric Fistula in Tanzania: Perspectives from the Affected Women.- Health Seeking Behavior Among Women with Obstetric Fistula in Ethiopia.- Classification of Female Genital Tract Fistulas.- Surgical Treatment for Obstetric Fistula: Not an Easy Option.- Obstetric Vesicovaginal Fistula: Development of a Predictive Score of FailedSurgical Repair.- Training and Capacity Building in the Provision of Fistula Treatment Services-The FIGO Fistula Surgery Training Initiative.- Medical and Surgical Challenges and Opportunities for Treatment at the Aberdeen Womens Centre in Sierra Leone.- Comparing Three Models of Fistula CareAmong FiveFacilities in Nigeria and Uganda.- Obstetric Fistula in the Democratic Republic of theCongo: Neglected Care of Young Women in Rural Areas.- Therapeutic Management of Obstetric Fistula: Learning from Implementation of Insertable Devices to Improve the Health and Well-Being of Women and Girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.- The Aberdeen Women's Centre - Providing Care for Girls and Women with Fistula and Other Conditions in Sierra Leone.- Height and external measurement of pelvic diameters to predict obstetric fistula in Congolese women: a case-control study.- Designing Preventive Strategies for Obstetric Fistula: Evidence from a Survey Conducted Among Rural and Urban Women in BurkinaFaso.- Sexual Function in Women with Obstetric Fistulas.- Social and Reproductive Health of Women After Obstetric Fistula Repair: Insights from Guinea.- Urinary Incontinence Following Obstetric Fistula Surgery.- A Multidisciplinary Approachto Obstetric Fistula in Northern Ghana: Not Counted Among Women.- Making the case for holistic fistula care: Implementation ofa model reintegration program in Uganda.- Addressing Mental Health in Obstetric Fistula Patients : Filling the Void.- Physical Therapy for Women with Obstetric Fistula.- Comprehensive Pelvic Floor Health : Beyond the Hole in the Wall.