Abstract:
Background: Utero-vaginal prolapse is a global health crisis in aging females and is one of the most common reproductive morbidities in developing countries. It is the downward displacement of the uterus from its normal anatomical position, dragging some parts of the vagina and bladder. As a consequence of utero-vaginal prolapse, various physical problems and psychosocial problems affect quality of life. Up to my knowledge, there is no study conduct on the lived experience of women with Utero-vaginal prolapse in Ethiopia in general and in Bahir City hospitals in particular.
Objective: To explore the lived experience of women with utero-vaginal prolapse in Bahirdar city government specialized and referral Hospital, North-West Ethiopia in 2022.
Method: A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted from October 23-November 30/2022. The study includes fifteen participants women with utero vaginal prolapse who had visit Felege Hiwot Comperhensive Specialized Hospital and Tibebe Ghione Comperhensive Specialized Hospital. The data was collected through in-depth interview techniques with the aid of an audio recorder and a semi-structured interviewee guide by the principal investigator. Data was transcribed, translated, coded, categorized, displayed, reduced, and interpreted with thematic development. Thematic analysis was used. The rigor and trustworthiness of the study was maintained by use of the criteria of credibility, dependability,confirmability and transferability. The data was analyzed with Atlas Ti version 7 software.
Result: In this study six main themes were formed from eight sub-themes. Psycho emotional experience, sexual experience, socio-economic experience, Health Care-seeking behavior and related factors, perceived cause, and coping mechanism. The study participants investigated the factors that hinder people from seeking treatment, including social stigma fears, a lack of money for food and transportation, surgery-related anxiety, and difficulty accessing nearby hospital. The majority of the participants claimed that heavy weight lifting, home deliveries, homes and agricultural activities were responsible for their uterine prolapse. Participants in the study reported to have pain, discomfort, and decreased sexual desire.
Conclusion: The study participants women with utero vaginal prolapse had anxiety, depression and thinking about the disease. The study participants explored the uterine prolapse decreased their household economy. The main perceived caused raised by the women cause were workload, heavy lifting and home delivery.
Key words: Utero vaginal prolapse, lived experience, phenomenology, Bahir Dar, Ethiopa