Health Alert: Teenage pregnancies fuelling obstetric fistula in Nigeria –Gem Hub

*A Nigerian non-governmental organisation Gem Hub Initiative, and health advocates say poor maternal healthcare and delays in emergency treatment have continued to leave several young women with preventable childbirth injuries in the country

Web Editor | ConsumerConnect

Nigeria’s high rate of teenage pregnancies is worsening cases of obstetric fistula, health advocates warned Friday, May 22, 2026.

The advocates said poor maternal healthcare and delays in emergency treatment had continued to leave several young women with preventable childbirth injuries.

Immigration: Why US directs Nigerians, other nationals to return home for Green Card applications –USCIS Spokesman

The warning came from Nigerian non-governmental organisation Gem Hub Initiative, as the world marked the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula this year.

Obstetric fistula is a severe childbirth injury caused mainly by prolonged obstructed labour without timely medical intervention, particularly emergency caesarean section services.

The condition can leave women unable to control urine or faeces and often exposes survivors to stigma, abandonment and emotional trauma.

The organisation’s Executive Director, Oyeyemi Pitan, in a statement, said: “Nigeria still records a high rate of teenage pregnancy, one of the underlying factors of obstetric fistula.

“Our work in communities shows that far more needs to be done.”

The organisation also said many survivors also lose their babies during labour and are later left to face rejection, shame and social isolation.

Experts have identified teenage pregnancy, child marriage, poverty and poor access to maternal healthcare as major drivers of obstetric fistula in Nigeria.

Recent findings from a 2026 study by Johns Hopkins University estimated that about 457,000 women aged 15 to 64 were living with obstetric fistula globally in 2020, although advocates say Nigeria remains among the countries with a heavy burden of the condition.

Gem Hub Initiative called for stronger investment in adolescent health programmes, improved maternal healthcare systems and quicker access to emergency obstetric care to help eliminate fistula by 2030.

Kindly Share This Story