The Consequences of Maternal Morbidity and Maternal Mortality - Assignment Example

Research topic The main topic in this research is the factors that affect the health of women. A number of factors make women vulnerable to a number of health issues. For example, most women are at the risk of contracting AIDS from their spouses or other incidences like rape. Different researchers have studied different health issues related to women and their effects on society (Koblinski and Holly 56). However, very few have chosen obstetric fistula as their research topics. This is because it is difficult for a patient with the condition to identify herself publicly due to trauma and stigma. The condition is affecting the social lives of many women and young girls because the society tends to neglect them. In most cases, those affected come from poor backgrounds and cannot be able to afford medical services. Therefore, the condition poses an economic challenge to developing countries in terms of health and gender equality. Research question Fistula is a condition that is ruining the lives of many young girls and women especially in Africa. Gender inequalities and stereotypes aggregate the situation in most of the African cases. Some of the causes of fistula can be prevented through proper planning and involving relevant stakeholders. The severity of the effects of fistula, especially withdrawal and other social factors made me choose ways of minimizing cases of obstetric fistula in young girls and women as my research question (Koblinski and Holly 58). However, it calls the need of understanding causes of fistula so that one can develop strategies or ways of minimizing the condition. Literature review A number of academic sources explain the magnitude of fistula in most developing countries. The following is a list of the annotated bibliographies of some journal articles discussing the topic. Muleta, M. “Obstetric fistulae: a retrospective study of 1210 cases at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital.” Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 17.1 (1997): 68-70. Feinberg Library. 11 November 2012. The article shows the statistics of cases in the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. It shows that a majority of the cases of fistula in the hospital affect young girls below twenty years. Muleta argues that early pregnancies among the young girls lead to obstructed labor, which is the principal cause of fistula. Lack of facilities and poor transport services contribute to the increasing number of cases among many women. The article shows how the society rejects victims of fistula. Muleta shows that 43.8% of patients in the hospital received official divorce from their husbands due to their condition. It is also quick to point the role of the government and society in helping the victims of obstetric fistula. The article shows the severity of fistula among women and the growing number of reported cases, which helps in supporting the research question. Bangser, Maggie. “Obstetric fistula and stigma.” Lancet 367.9509 (2006): 535-536. Feinberg Library. 11 November 2012. Bangser uses an Eastern Africa project on restoring the dignity of women to highlight the two main factors affecting cases of fistula in developing countries. The article highlights poverty as the main cause of stigma among African women. It calls for the need of political intervention in dealing with cases of fistula and stigma in women. The article shows that many women have no access to medical help due to shame and poverty in many African countries. Fistula in women can be eliminated medically but is costly. Bangser shows that to eliminate the problem of fistula, different stakeholders including the government need to eliminate poverty and other social problems that affect women in society. Report from Tanzania. “Views & News.” Pakistan Journal on Women’s Studies 14.2 (2007): 142-144. Feinberg Library. 11 November 2012. The article is about a project in Tanzania that aims at restoring the dignity among women in the African country. The article presents cases of three Tanzanian women with fistula and the life that the condition subjects them. It highlights lack of money to access maternity services as the major cause of fistula among women in poor countries. One of women in the article developed fistula as a result of difficult labor because she had no money to pay her previous debts on maternity expenses. The article represents many cases of fistula that affect many women in the society and which remain unattended to due to poverty and other reasons. It highlights maternal complications as the main cause of fistula, which is relevant to the research question. Das, Aditi. “Fistula in the frame.” Lancet 368.9542 (2006): 1146-1146. Feinberg Library. 11 November 2012. Aditi’s article is a review of two movies on fistula. The article narrates the story of a woman in a remote village who is stigmatized due to her conditions. Aditi uses this article to shed light on the number of fistula cases that are not reported in Africa, Asia and the Arab region. Gender inequalities and stereotypes put women and girls at the risk of contracting AIDS and other fatal health implications. The article narrates the ordeals of five West African women in Niger in the movie "Love, Labor and Loss" who access medical care after a long period of neglect and rejection from their society and family members. Fistula pilgrims is a movie about the life of a young Ethiopian girl who lived a life of shame due to fistula. This article shows that the main cause of fistula in women is early pregnancies, which is accelerated by the position of women in the African society. Kelly, J. “Vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal stulae.” Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 18.3 (1998): 249-251. Feinberg Library. 11 November 2012. Kelly’s article gives the number of fistula cases in developing countries. Female genital mutilation accounts for some cases of obstetric fistula in developing nations. It highlights obstructed labor as the main cause of fistula among many women in these countries. Women in these countries have no access to medical and maternal services due to poverty; it results to birth complications due to prolonged labor. The article argues that young pregnancies account for the majority of cases among young girls. In developed countries, the main causes of fistula are pelvic surgery, malignancy and radiotherapy. However, she notes that cases in developed countries are not as severe as those in developing countries because women in developed countries have access to surgery and other forms of treatment, which helps us in developing a comprehensive research. Research hypothesis Difficulties and complications in childbirth are the main cause of obstetric fistula. After a keen study of the articles above, it is evident that most of obstetric fistula cases in women are results of birth complications. Prolonged labor is the main cause of fistula among many women. Early pregnancies among many young girls cause complications during birth which eventually lead to fistula (Koblinski and Holly 74). Most women cannot afford the money necessary for proper maternity services and end up developing complications during child birth. Others who suffer from the condition do not have money to access medical help. Most cases of fistula remain unreported due to fear of seclusion among the casualties. Practical matters The research will be able to find data in the field that will test its hypothesis. This data is available in almost all health institutions and agencies in the world. The research can also obtain data directly from the field, but the main obstacle to this is the fear among patients of fistula to disclose their health conditions. The time allocated for this research will be enough to gather relevant data that will try to answer the research question. The research will spend a substantial amount of time in gathering information directly from the field. However, the research will allocate some time to go through sets of data that are already documented from relevant sources (Koblinski and Holly 59). The research will need some monetary resources in obtaining data from the field. The research topic will be of interest to different parties. For instance, the World Health Organization will be interested in knowing ways of reducing cases of fistula in developing countries, and its supports will be of immense use to the project. Other independent agencies like human rights activists will also have an interest in the research as it addresses the plight of women. Therefore, availability of funds and assistance will contribute to the success of this research. Works Cited Koblinski, Marjorie and Holly, Reed. The Consequences of Maternal Morbidity and Maternal Mortality: Report of a Workshop. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000. Print. Read More