Christina Pallitto of the World Health Organization and colleagues from four countries conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing data and compiled the most comprehensive list to date of the health risks associated with female genital mutilation (FGM, also known as female circumcision). The analysis included 78 studies involving nearly half a million girls and women, 68 of which were conducted in countries with high prevalence of FGM. The results were published in the journal BMC Public Health.
The authors of the study found convincing evidence of an increased long-term risk of obstetric, gynecological, urological, sexual, and psychiatric disorders in girls and women after FGM. Obstetric complications included prolonged labor and labor with mechanical obstruction of the fetus, lacerations, the need for cesarean section or episiotomy, postpartum hemorrhage, neonatal distress and asphyxia, stillbirth, and infant mortality; gynecological complications included persistent genital tissue damage, genital infections, and difficult menstruation; urological complications included urinary tract infections and difficult urination; sexual complications included dyspareunia and sexual dysfunction; and psychiatric complications included depression, anxiety, and somatoform disorders.
