Prevalence, risk factors and traditional treatments of genital prolapse in Manma, Kalikot district, Nepal : a community based population study

Abstract

Background: Nepal is a small developing country sandwiched between India and China. Majority (Approximately 80 %) of the people still depend on the traditional medicine for their primary health care. According to World health organization (WHO), reproductive and sexual ill-health accounts for 33 % of the total disease burden in women globally. The global prevalence of genital prolapse (GP) is estimated to be 2 -20 % in women under age 45.The status of reproductive health of women in Nepal is very poor and uterine prolapse (UP) is a serious public health problem in Nepal. Data of uterine prolapse in Nepal are in scattered form and are very little. Study shows that more than one million of Nepali women suffer from uterine prolapse and the majority of these women are of reproductive age and among them two hundred thousand are in need of immediate surgery.

Objective: The main aim of the study were to measure the prevalence of UP, the associated risk factors and documentation of the traditional remedies used by the women for the treatment of UP in the region.

Setting: The study was carried out in a mid western hilly part of Nepal: Manma, village development committee (VDC), the capital of the Kalikot district.

Method: A cross sectional study was conducted by using designed questionnaires during June 2010 –July 2010.Women above 15 years of age were selected by using systematic random sampling method. A total of 368 women participated in this study. Chi square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were done to explore the association of the risk factors.

Result: The prevalence of uterine prolapse (UP) in our study was 22.6 %. The risk factors for uterine prolapse (p value < 0.05) were illiteracy, multi parity, poverty, home delivery, early age at marriage, less rest time period after delivery and smoking. Results also showed that the majority of women (63.9%) believe in Traditional Medicine for the treatment of Uterine Prolapse. Commonly used herbs reported were Cedrus deodara, Butea monosperma, Oxalis latifolia, Canabis sativa.

Conclusion: The findings confirm the high prevalence of the uterine prolapse (UP) in the region. The majority of women were uneducated, multi parous (> 3), poor and smokers. The most common risk factors for uterine prolapse seem to be low education level, multi parity, poverty, malnutrition, early marriage, smoking habit, hard work and less rest immediate after delivery.