Marital disruption among women with genital fistula in Nigeria: who is at greatest risk?

Introduction and hypothesis Marital disruption is a commonly identified sequela of genital fistula in developing countries. This study is aimed at identifying factors that correlate with marital outcomes. Methods All new patients presenting to Evangel VVF Centre in Jos, Nigeria, between August 2015 and August 2017, were retrospectively reviewed with regard to demographics, medical history, and fistula details to identify variables correlating with marital status, particularly whether currently married or presently divorced, separated, or divorced and remarried (cumulatively the “divorce group”). Results Among 581 new patients, 66% were married and 18% experienced marital disruption. Presence of living children in the home and having attended any level of formal education were found to be protective of marriage ( p values