Global Women's Voices: Share Personal Stories

Mina Dr, Kosovo

Submitted by: Veprore Shehu

She comes to the center without an appointment and insists to be visited. The doctor/gynecologist accepts to visit her though disturbing her working plan and tens of other patients waiting to get visited outside.
She tells about her difficult life, her 11 deliveries out of which only one with a professional assistance in the hospital. She also had two spontaneous abortions.

She lives in a big family where also her mentally sick brother-in-law lives. She has spent the war time in the mountains without being able to provide shelter to her big family. She complains in many body pains, having not regular periods, increased vaginal secret, frequent urine, stomach pains and irregular heart beats.

After the examination we see that she has cyst rectocellae, cervix is almost completely destroyed, she has descensus of uterus and let us not speak about the condition with her increased vaginal secret.

In the ultrasound it is diagnosed as uterus metriticus. Uterus has exceeded the normal dimensions but without noduli myomatosis. She is referred for additional examinations and other lab tests. These tests show some heart problems, ulcer and kidney problems.

Such stories are quite frequent in our region. Using contraceptives is completely limited due to their genital situation and condoms as the only contraceptive solution has to be decided by men who many times reject to use them.

Existence of such organic problems of our women speak about necessity of creating preconditions for offering gynecological services, health education, even artificial abortions in case of not having an access to contraceptives or not being able to use them because of health problems caused by too many birth deliveries which are also imposed from traditional patriarchal mentality surrounding these women.

updated: 7/2/2004