Women ostracized from child birth complications find hope in Mercy Ships
SMITH COUNTY, TX (KLTV)- A global organization that calls East Texas their home, is working to improve the lives of women impacted by obstetric fistulas.
An obstetric fistula occurs after child birth complications leave an internal hole in a woman's body. The World Health Organization estimates that there are 50-100,000 new cases of obstetric fistula each year.
It's not so much of a problem in the United States because of our advanced medical care, but in Africa, East Texas based Mercy Ships has preformed 2,800 obstetric fistula related procedures on women with the condition.
In the U.S., about 1 in 7,500 women die in child birth each year. In West Africa, that statistic is 1 in 12.
Of the women who live, many have their bodies destroyed by obstetric fistulas.
