Vaginal Fistula Treatment in India

Emily Chopra, a 28-year-old marketing manager...

Emily Chopra, a 28-year-old marketing manager from London, had a traumatic emergency C-section following a prolonged and obstructed labor with her first child. For the last six months, she has been experiencing a constant, uncontrollable leakage of urine that has a distinct fecal odor, making her feel constantly unclean and socially isolated. She has developed severe skin irritation and recurrent urinary tract infections. After multiple misdiagnoses of simple incontinence, a specialist obstetrician-gynecologist performed a detailed examination with dye tests and imaging, confirming a rectovaginal fistula, an abnormal connection between her rectum and vagina caused by the birth injury. The doctor recommended a surgical repair, explaining it as the only definitive solution. Emily underwent a transvaginal fistula repair, a procedure that involved dissecting the fistula tract and closing the openings in both the vaginal and rectal walls with layered sutures. Her initial recovery in the hospital lasted four days, requiring a liquid diet and meticulous wound care to allow the repair to heal. The emotional journey was harrowing; before the surgery, she felt broken, grieving the joyful postpartum period she had envisioned, and was terrified of never being intimate with her husband again. Six weeks post-procedure, after a confirmed successful healing, the leakage had completely stopped. While cautiously optimistic, Emily felt a profound sense of relief and the beginning of reclaiming her body and confidence, though she still carries anxiety about future pregnancies.