Natalia Vodianova at End Fistula event

Model Natalia Vodianova, 25, was snapped at the Virgin Unite Campaign to End Fistula CelebrityBowl Off September 5 at All Star Lanes in London, England. Natalia and her husband Justin Portman expect their third child, a boy to be named Viktor in honor of her grandfather, this month.

The event Natalia was supporting gives money to help end fistulas. An obstetric fistula is a hole between the vagina and bladder or rectum, caused by prolonged labor and severe or failed childbirth without prompt medical intervention. The woman is left with chronic incontinence, severe infections and ulcerations of the vaginal tract and, in some cases, a stillborn baby. For more information, click here.

Photo by Splash News, splashnews.com, splashnewsonline.com

Comments

lilianic on September 7th, 2007

It’s really great to see celebrities lending their names and faces to the cause of fistulas. This condition is common in poorer parts of the world, and many of the sufferers are young teenagers whose bodies are not yet mature enough to go through labor. The condition can be fixed by surgeries, but they are expensive and not available anywhere, so these girls often sit in fistula wards without any help. A lot more people need to be aware of this issue. Thanks for posting this!

Dancer on September 7th, 2007

This is what happens when you have completely natural deliveries, sans doctors, hospitals, medical intervention. I presume they have their own midwives.

cathleen on September 7th, 2007

I have to disagree with you Dancer. This is not what happens when you have unmedicated deliveries. I had two completely natural deliveries, albiet speedy ones. The most common reason for a fistula is a severe tear. Perinial tears are judged on a 1 to a 4 scale, a 1 is a slight surface tear that does not require stitches and a four is severe to the point it goes through layers of muscle. A women that has an epidural will often have a prolonged second (pushing) phase compared to a natural birth. Women with episiotomies also run a much higher risk of developing fistulas.
I would ask that CBB doesn’t use Wikepedia as a source for medical conditions either, the people that post info on wikepedia are not even credentialled, and their discription is fairly inaccurate also. The higher rate of fistulas in africa are also linked to ritual female circumsicion and the scar tissue it creates, so it doesn’t completely compare to western obstetrics.

lydia on September 8th, 2007

Oprah had a show about fistuals about two years ago, and model and mother Liya Kebede was on as well. They said fistuals mainly happened to raped girls of about age 11 to mid teens, whos bodies were not ready for child birth. Consequently they were outcast from their community because of the constant smell of infection and urine.

Natalia looks incredibly beautiful, yet still so thin, she probably diets even during pregnancy.

morgan on September 8th, 2007

Lydia, lots of “thin” women remain thin during their pregnancy. I think its her body type, she looks heathly to me and im sure her doctor would tell her if she was in need of gaining weight.

lord vodianov von lydia-morgan on September 10th, 2007

Of course, morgan, she is absolutely naturally skinny (as she was during the second pregnancy when she start to grow bald) otherwise her doctor would take care about her (as he did when her child become a mummy in her womb a a result of diet).