Pelvic Health Africa’s Silent Crisis

Ignored, misunderstood, and rarely discussed, pelvic health is quietly shaping lives, livelihoods, and dignity across Africa. Across much of Africa, an entire domain of human health remains largely invisible, misunderstood, or simply never discussed: pelvic health. Pelvic health sits at the intersection of women’s health, childbirth, ageing, dignity, productivity, and economic development.

Importantly, pelvic health conditions affect both men and women. They include commonly overlooked issues such as pubic symphysis dysfunction and tailbone pain. Paying less attention to pelvic health conditions carries profound social and economic costs.

Addressing it openly could be transformative, to both governments and the individual. Simply put, the pelvis is the bony structure inside your hips, buttocks and pubic region. Pelvic health refers to the functioning of the pelvic floor muscles and organs, the bladder, uterus, vagina, prostate, and rectum, and the muscles and ligaments that support them.

[paywall]

When these systems function well, individuals maintain continence, sexual health, reproductive function, and exercise. Pelvic dysfunction signs and symptoms range from incontinence to prolapse, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain and reduced mobility. Addressing pelvic floor dysfunction results in significant changes to quality of life and pain reporting.

In Africa, pelvic health problems are widespread but vastly underdiagnosed. They affect people across all life stages, from adolescents during sporting activities to aged adults. Many pelvic health issues are related to childbirth.

Many women have multiple pregnancies and births, limited access to skilled obstetric care, and insufficient ante and post natal care, to include rehabilitation. With limited research in this area to provide specific numbers, conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse and obstetric fistula still affect hundreds of thousands of women across the continent. Some think it is normal to leak urine post child birth and go on without seeking medical advice.

Pelvic health issues are not limited to childbirth. Men are also affected by prostate disorders, urinary dysfunction, and pelvic pain syndromes. Older adults face weakening pelvic muscles that lead to incontinence and reduced mobility, often forcing withdrawal from community life.

These are not merely medical conditions; they can become social tragedies. Women suffering from fistula, for example, may face stigma, isolation, and economic exclusion because of constant leakage and odour. Men lose confidence.

Shame and embarrassment to talk about intimate organs due to religion and socialisation may also contribute to limited engagement with health services. Geographic location also precipitates reduced follow up care as most people live in rural areas and small farms. Despite this knowledge gap, pelvic health education is rarely included in school curricula, public health messaging, or primary care training.

The silence surrounding this topic reflects powerful cultural dynamics. Discussions of bodily functions, sexuality, and reproductive anatomy are often considered taboo. Many people assume these conditions are a normal part of growing older and come to expect them. Health systems may reinforce this invisibility by focusing narrowly on diagnosis and surgical interventions, such as maternal survival or prostate assessments, while overlooking the long term quality of life that follows.

[/paywall]