How does fistula occur?
Unattended obstructed labour can last for up to six or seven days, although the foetus usually dies after two or three days. During the prolonged labour, the soft tissues of the pelvis are compressed between the descending baby’s head and the mother’s pelvic bone. The lack of blood flow causes tissue to die, creating a hole between the mother’s vagina and bladder (known as a vesicovaginal fistula), or between the vagina and rectum (causing a rectovaginal fistula) or both. The result is a leaking of urine or faeces or both.
