Responding to the growing need for tried-and-trusted solutions to the reproductive health care issues confronting millions of women worldwide, Obstetrics and Gynecology in Low-Resource Settings provides practical guidelines for ensuring the delivery of quality OB/GYN care to women in resource-poor countries. Including contributions from leading clinicians and researchers in the field, this welcome overview fills an important gap in existing medical literature on women's health care and will be an invaluable resource for doctors, clinicians, and medical students at all stages of their careers who work in the global health arena. The reproductive health risks that all women face are greatly exacerbated when health care facilities are inadequate, equipment and medications are in short supply, and well-trained medical staff are few and far away. Often in these settings, the sole doctor or medical professional on hand has expertise in some areas of women's reproductive care but needs a refresher course in others. This informative guide features hands-on, step-by-step instruction for the most pertinent OB/GYN conditions-both acute and chronic-that health care workers in the field confront. The authors examine a wide range of topics, including: strategies to reduce maternal mortality and stillbirths; infectious and sexually transmitted diseases, including malaria and HIV; cervical cancer; contraception; prenatal, delivery, and newborn care; and complications arising from gender-based violence and female genital cutting. Published in a convenient format with a durable binding, this reference will be an essential companion to health care providers throughout the world.

Traces the horror of obstetric fistula-a condition that has been largely forgotten in the developed world-and lays out a plan for its eradication. Millions of women suffer from obstetric fistula, a catastrophic childbirth complication that exists today mainly in the world's poorest countries. Fistulas are created by the prolonged pressure of the fetal head in the birth canal during obstructed labor, which grievously injures a woman's bladder, leaving her incontinent. With a fistula, a woman's life revolves around futile attempts to control her condition and the stigma associated with it. Abandoned by their loved ones, ostracized from their communities, and cut off from modern surgical care, which can repair fistulas and return patients to full health, these women suffer wretchedly. Based on over 20 years of personal experience with fistula patients in multiple African countries, Dr. L. Lewis Wall's Tears for My Sisters describes the ancient history of obstetric fistula, tracing it as far back as ancient Egypt. An expert in repairing obstetric fistula, Dr. Wall explains how these injuries occur and how Western medicine developed the technical capacity to overcome obstructed labor and repair fistulas. Arguing that obstetric fistula results from a general disregard for women's human rights and reproductive health around the globe, he lays bare the obstacles that poor women face in getting emergency obstetric care. Finally, he presents a solution to this problem based on the inspiring story of Drs. Reginald and Catherine Hamlin, who created a hospital system in Ethiopia to care for fistula patients, improve health care, and eradicate these injuries. Providing these women with a much-needed voice, this compassionate book is the first to tell the comprehensive story of this tragic but preventable condition. It is compelling reading for everyone interested in women's health, reproductive rights, the history of medicine, and social justice.