Merina's Story

Merina never went to school and was married when she was only 12 years old. She got pregnant at the age of 21. Her mother-in-law wanted her to give birth at home. After the contractions started, the birth process slowed down. After two days of obstructed labour, the family finally decided to go to a hospital. The child was delivered by Caesarean section but died shortly afterwards. Ten days after the birth, Merina noticed that she was constantly losing urine. 

Several months later, the young woman found out from a former fistula patient that her injury could be treated at the LAMB Hospital. At the hospital, they found out that due to the difficult birth, Merina suffered from both a vesico-vaginal fistula as well as a urethral fistula. Fistula surgeon Prof. Sayeba Akhter as well as another female surgeon of the LAMB Hospital operated on Merina and were able to close both fistula. She recovered quickly after the surgery and was completely dry again afterwards. 

Merina's biggest question is if and when she can become pregnant again. The team hopes that her wish can be fulfilled within a year, when everything is healed. The hospital staff recommended that Merina should come to the LAMB Hospital for the birth of her next child, so that it can be delivered by a Caesarean section.