Background Obstetric fistulas are one of the most tragic injuries that occur after difficult, prolonged childbirth without timely intervention. These fistulas cause discomfort to patients and result in emotional, social, and even physical suffering. The present study aimed to explore the experiences of women with rectovaginal fistula in Kamyaran city, in Kurdestan province, west of Iran. Methods In a phenomenological study, 16 patients, healthcare personnel, and patients’ families were investigated. Purposive sampling was performed and Study participants were interviewed in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim (word by word), and analyzed by Colaizzi’s method. For determining the validity of the study, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria, which include credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability, were considered. Results Five general themes and 10 sub-themes emerged after investigating interviews. Themes include religious harassment the sub-theme of being defiled), fail (sub-themes of loss and negative attitudes, disrupted sex (the sub-theme of sexual dissatisfaction), consequence (three sub-themes of sleep disturbance, mental crisis, and isolation), and ultimately panic (three sub-themes of humiliation, secrecy, and fear). Conclusion The rectovaginal fistula is a complex and multifaceted problem with social, individual, familial, religious, and ethnic-environmental dimensions, so there is no simple solution to interact with this problem and there is a need to find a solution, considering the dimensions of the problem and plan for help these patients cope with their disease, and take steps to fully treat it.

Background: Obstetric fistulas are one of the most tragic injuries that occur after difficult, prolonged childbirth without timely intervention. These fistulas cause discomfort to patients and result in emotional, social, and even physical suffering. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of women with rectovaginal fistula in Kamyaran city, in Kurdestan province, west of Iran. Methods: In a phenomenological study, 16 patients, healthcare personnel and patients' families were investigated. Purposive sampling was performed and Study participants were interviewed in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim (word by word) and analyzed by Colaizzi's method. In order to determine the validity of the study, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria, which include credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability, were considered. Results: Five general themes and ten sub-themes emerged after investigating interviews. Themes include religious harassment the sub-theme of being defiled), fail (subthemes of loss and negative attitudes, disrupted sex (the subtheme of sexual dissatisfaction), consequence (three subthemes of sleep disturbance, mental crisis, and isolation), and ultimately panic (three subthemes of humiliation, secrecy, and fear). Conclusion: The rectovaginal fistula is a complex and multifaceted problem with social, individual, familial, religious, and ethnic-environmental dimensions, so there is no simple solution to interact with this problem and there is a need to find a solution, considering the dimensions of the problem and plan for help these patients cope with their disease, and take steps to fully treat it.

Background: Female genital cosmetic surgery (FGCS) consists of a set of designed approaches to recover or reinforce the vulva, these cosmetic procedures are conducted to relive functionality problems such as vaginal looseness to sexual dissatisfaction, and the external genital tract is shaped cosmetically. Its results could be better judged through understanding the direct experience of women who underwent surgery, therefore, this study aimed to explain the experiences of women regarding FGCS through a phenomenological methods. Methods: In a study using phenomenological descriptive, and through purposive sampling, women who experienced FGCS were semisystematically deep interviewed. Then, the interviews were entered into the Word software and were analyzed by Colaizzi 7-step method. To assurance on the correctness of the data, the guba’s criteria were used. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA software version 10. Results: The results showed that 15 women aged between 23-49 years old and with a mean age of 34 years old, mostly married and housewives as well as with diploma educational level participated in the study, three themes and eight subthemes were excluded from the analysis of participants’ interview. Participants presented their experiences on their sexual function after FGCS as sexual satisfaction, high-quality life, and willingness for surgery. Conclusion: The study showed that women’s experience with FGCS includes sexual satisfaction and higher quality of life. Therefore, the assessment of women to perform cosmetic surgery should be prioritized and the women should be supported to make a decision regarding such surgery.

Background: Obstetric fistulas are one of the most tragic injuries that occur after difficult, prolonged childbirth without timely intervention. These fistulas cause discomfort to patients and result in emotional, social, and even physical suffering. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of women with rectovaginal fistula in Kamyaran city, in Kurdestan province, west of Iran. Methods: In a phenomenological study, 16 patients, healthcare personnel and patients' families were investigated. Purposive sampling was performed and Study participants were interviewed in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim (word by word) and analyzed by Colaizzi's method. In order to determine the validity of the study, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria, which include credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability, were considered. Results: Five general themes and ten sub-themes emerged after investigating interviews. Themes include religious harassment the sub-theme of being defiled), fail (subthemes of loss and negative attitudes, disrupted sex (the subtheme of sexual dissatisfaction), consequence (three subthemes of sleep disturbance, mental crisis, and isolation), and ultimately panic (three subthemes of humiliation, secrecy, and fear). Conclusion: The rectovaginal fistula is a complex and multifaceted problem with social, individual, familial, religious, and ethnic-environmental dimensions, so there is no simple solution to interact with this problem and there is a need to find a solution, considering the dimensions of the problem and plan for help these patients cope with their disease, and take steps to fully treat it.

Background: Obstetric fistulas are one of the most tragic injuries that occur after difficult, prolonged childbirth without timely intervention. These fistulas cause discomfort to patients and result in emotional, social, and even physical suffering. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of women with rectovaginal fistula in Kamyaran city, in Kurdestan province, west of Iran. Methods: In a phenomenological study, 16 patients, healthcare personnel and patients' families were investigated. Purposive sampling was performed and Study participants were interviewed in-depth semi-structured interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim (word by word) and analyzed by Colaizzi's method. In order to determine the validity of the study, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria, which include credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability, were considered. Results: Five general themes and ten sub-themes emerged after investigating interviews. Themes include religious harassment the sub-theme of being defiled), fail (subthemes of loss and negative attitudes, disrupted sex (the subtheme of sexual dissatisfaction), consequence (three subthemes of sleep disturbance, mental crisis, and isolation), and ultimately panic (three subthemes of humiliation, secrecy, and fear). Conclusion: The rectovaginal fistula is a complex and multifaceted problem with social, individual, familial, religious, and ethnic-environmental dimensions, so there is no simple solution to interact with this problem and there is a need to find a solution, considering the dimensions of the problem and plan for help these patients cope with their disease, and take steps to fully treat it.