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Improving obstetric fistula care in Africa: The case for regenerative medicine

Kirubel T. Hailu(1), Tigist W. Leulseged(2),


(1) University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
(2) Medical Research Lounge (MRL), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Corresponding Author

Abstract


Obstetric fistula remains one of the most neglected maternal health conditions, with >500,000 women untreated and 50,000-100,000 new cases annually, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Its consequences, chronic incontinence, infections, infertility, and stigma, are devastating. Surgical repair is the cornerstone of care, but a shortage of trained surgeons limits access, and outcomes are suboptimal: recurrence occurs in up to 20%, and up to one-third have persistent incontinence. These realities highlight the urgent need for adjunctive therapeutic strategies alongside surgery

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