Uterine prolapse: a hidden tragedy of women in rural Nepal

Uterine Prolapse (UP) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity among women in low-income countries like Nepal. More than 1 million women in Nepal suffer from this condition and most of them belong to the reproductive age. The cause and consequence for UP in Nepalese women is mainly gender discrimination. Early marriage, multiple births, lack of skilled birth attendants during delivery, continuous work throughout their pregnancies and soon after giving birth are the risk factors and causes of UP. It affects many aspects of a woman's quality of life, which ranges from physical discomfort, psychological, social and sexual lifestyle restrictions. Lack of knowledge of casual and preventative measures and perception of UP as normal phenomenon is the important barriers to access to treatment. Strong, effective and comprehensive strategies should address this underlying discrimination including socio-cultural discrimination, which could empower women to control their exposure to UP.