Women’s experiences of rectovaginal fistula: an ethno- religious experience

BACKGROUND: Obstetric fistulas are one of the most tragic injuries that occur after difficult, prolonged childbirth without timely intervention. These fistulas cause discomfort to patients and result in emotional, social, and even physical suffering. The present study aimed to explore the experiences of women with rectovaginal fistula in Kamyaran city, in Kurdestan province, west of Iran. METHODS: In a phenomenological study, 16 patients, healthcare personnel, and patients’ families were investigated. Purposive sampling was performed and Study participants were interviewed in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim (word by word), and analyzed by Colaizzi’s method. For determining the validity of the study, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria, which include credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability, were considered. RESULTS: Five general themes and 10 sub-themes emerged after investigating interviews. Themes include religious harassment the sub-theme of being defiled), fail (sub-themes of loss and negative attitudes, disrupted sex (the sub-theme of sexual dissatisfaction), consequence (three sub-themes of sleep disturbance, mental crisis, and isolation), and ultimately panic (three sub-themes of humiliation, secrecy, and fear). CONCLUSION: The rectovaginal fistula is a complex and multifaceted problem with social, individual, familial, religious, and ethnic-environmental dimensions, so there is no simple solution to interact with this problem and there is a need to find a solution, considering the dimensions of the problem and plan for help these patients cope with their disease, and take steps to fully treat it.