SynthesisBMC pregnancy and childbirth2015
Obstetric fistula in low-resource countries: an under-valued and under-studied problem--systematic review of its incidence, prevalence, and association with stillbirth.
Synthesis in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 93 citations in OpenAlex.
- Determinants of Recovery From Obstetric Fistula in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nursing open · 2026Pooled it
- Sphincter repair procedures may be favored in the treatment of obstetrical recto-vaginal fistula: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.Techniques in coloproctology · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis on the recovery time of obstetric fistula in Ethiopia, 2023.BMC women's health · 2024Pooled it
- Sub-Saharan African women's views and experiences of risk factors for obstetric fistula: a qualitative systematic review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Pooled it
- The frequency of maternal morbidity: A systematic review of systematic reviews.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2018Pooled it
- Development and Pilot Test of a Group Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Women Recovering From Fistula Repair Surgery in Ethiopia.Frontiers in public health · 2022Trial
- Chronic Maternal Pelvic Morbidity: A Neglected Tragedy: Where is Pelvic Maternal Morbidity in Maternal and Child Health? : Advocating for a Public Health Approach to Pelvic Floor Disorders Resulting from Pregnancy and Childbirth Trauma.International urogynecology journal · 2026Article
- Sexual and bowel function in women with obstetric anal sphincter injuries after perineoplasty and sphincterorrhaphy.Narra J · 2026Article
- Long-term results of the Musset surgical technique in the treatment of recto-vaginal fistulas.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- Global, regional and national estimates of obstetric fistula prevalence.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- I feel like an outcast!: qualitative exploration on barriers to seek care among women with obstetric fistula in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Surgical success in obstetric fistula repair and associated factors: findings from a retrospective cohort study in Zambia.BMC surgery · 2025Article
- Article
- 'Everyone in my family has C-sections': increased likelihood of caesarean birth in family lineages in the United States.Evolution, medicine, and public health · 2025Article
- Prevalence of unplanned first pregnancy and socioeconomic factors in Benin: a cross-sectional and analytical study.BMJ public health · 2024Article
- Awareness on obstetric fistula and associated factors among women health development army, in the South Gondar zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia: A cross sectional study.Health science reports · 2024Article
- Neglected medium-term and long-term consequences of labour and childbirth: a systematic analysis of the burden, recommended practices, and a way forward.The Lancet. Global health · 2024Review
- Deciphering community-level knowledge of obstetric fistula and determinants: perspectives elucidated by ordinal logistic regression.Frontiers in global women's health · 2024Article
- Risk factors for failed fistula closure in Addis Ababa at fistula centre, central Ethiopia.Frontiers in global women's health · 2024Article
- The burden of iatrogenic obstetric fistulas in Sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.PloS one · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundObstetric fistula (OF) is a serious consequence of prolonged, obstructed labor in settings where emergency obstetric care is limited, but there are few reliable, population-based estimates of the rate of OF. Stillbirth (SB) is another serious consequence of prolonged, obstructed labor, yet the frequency of SB in women with OF is poorly described. Here, we review these data.
methodsWe searched electronic databases and grey literature for articles on OF in low-resource countries published between January 1, 1995, and November 16, 2014, and selected for inclusion 19 articles with original population-based OF incidence or prevalence data and 44 with reports of frequency of SB associated with OF.
resultsOF estimates came from medium- and low-HDI countries in South Asia and Africa, and varied considerably; incidence estimates ranged from 0 to 4.09 OF cases per 1000 deliveries, while prevalence estimates were judged more prone to bias and ranged from 0 to 81.0 OF cases per 1000 women. Reported frequency of SB associated with OF ranged from 32.3 % to 100 %, with estimates from the largest studies around 92 %. Study methods and quality were inconsistent.
conclusionsReliable data on OF and associated SB in low-resource countries are lacking, underscoring the relative invisibility of these issues. Sound numbers are needed to guide policy and funding responses to these neglected conditions of poverty.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.