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    Question ID:   15497         Current Version: 1
Question: What are the health problems caused by female genital cutting?
Category: Health & Beauty > Women's Health
Keywords: health problem, effect, risk, cause, female genital cutting, FGC, mutilation, FGM
Type: what
Rating:(0 ratings)    Views: 278    Discussions: 0   In Watch Lists: 1  

 
    Answer:
Female genital cutting (FGC) can cause a range of health problems, both short-term and long-term. The kinds of problems that develop depend upon the degree of the cutting, the cleanliness of the tools used to do the cutting, and the health of the girl or woman receiving the cutting. In most countries, FGC is performed in unclean conditions by mainly traditional practitioners who may use scissors, razor blades, or knives. In Egypt, though, up to 90 percent of FGC is performed by a health care professional. Almost every girl or woman who receives FGC experiences pain or bleeding.

Short-term health problems:

  • Bleeding or hemorrhaging: If the bleeding is severe, girls can die.
  • Infection: The wound can get infected and develop into an abscess (a collection of pus). Girls can get fevers, sepsis (a blood infection), shock, and even die, if the infection is not treated.
  • Pain: Girls are routinely cut without first being numbed or having anesthesia. The worst pain tends to occur the day after, when they have to urinate onto the wound.
  • Trauma: Girls are held down during the procedure, which can be physically or psychologically traumatic.

Long-term health problems (usually occurs to women with the most severe form of FGC):

  • Problems going to the bathroom. In severe cases, women are left with only a small opening for urinating and menstrual bleeding. This can slow or strain the normal flow of urine, which can cause infections.
  • Not being able to have sex normally. The most severe form of FGC leaves women with scars that cover most of their vagina. This makes sex very painful. These scars can also develop into bumps (cysts or abscesses) or thickened scars (keloids) that can be uncomfortable.
  • Problems with gynecological health. Women who have had FGC sometimes have painful menstruation. They may not be able to pass all of their menstrual blood. They may also have infections over and over again. It can also be hard for a health care professional to examine a woman's reproductive organs if she has had a more severe form of FGC. Normal tools cannot be used to perform a Pap test or a pelvic exam.
  • Increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. People who have no medical training, under unclean conditions, perform most forms of FGC. Many times, one tool is used for several procedures without sterilization. There is a growing concern that these conditions greatly increase the chance of spreading life-threatening infections such as hepatitis and HIV. Also, damage to the female sex organs during FGC can make the tissue more likely to tear during sex, which could also increase risk of STIs or HIV.
  • Problems getting pregnant, and problems during pregnancy and labor. Infertility rates among women who have had FGC are as high as 25 to 30 percent and are mostly related to problems with being able to achieve sexual intercourse. The scar that covers the vagina makes this very difficult. Once pregnant, a woman can have drawn out labor, tears, heavy bleeding, and infection during delivery - all causing distress to the infant and the mother. Health care professionals who are unfamiliar with the scar will sometimes recommend a cesarean section. This is not necessary as women will be able to deliver vaginally once the scar is cut open. With rising numbers of young women coming to the United States from countries that practice FGC, U.S. doctors have begun caring for more and more patients who have been cut and facing some of these challenges. Based on a study of 28,000 women in 6 African countries, FGC is related to cesarean section, post-partum hemorrhage, episiotomy, extended hospital stays, the need for infant resuscitation, and death. While about 5 percent of babies born to women without FGC were stillborn or died shortly after delivery, this figure increased to 6.4 percent in babies born to women with FGC.
  • Psychological and emotional stress. FGC is typically performed on very young girls. Some may not understand what is being done to them or why. The psychological effects of this painful experience are similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder. Although very rare, girls and women who have had FGC may have problems sleeping, have more anxiety, and become depressed.

In some countries where FGC is performed, leaders have tried to lessen the physical problems caused by FGC by asking hospitals and doctors to do the surgery. This "medicalization" of FGC offends the international medical community, and is seen as a way for FGC supporters to continue the practice. Advocates have charged that doctors should not perform FGC, as their profession requires them to "do no harm" to their patients, despite cultural beliefs and practices.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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    More Readings :
[QID:15434]    What is female genital cutting (FGC)?  
[QID:15458]    Is female genital cutting part of a religion?  
[QID:15457]    Where is female genital cutting practiced?  
[QID:15507]    What is being done to stop the practice of female genital cutting?  
[QID:15506]    What are the laws regarding female genital cutting?  
[QID:15496]    How many women have received female genital cutting?  
[QID:15459]    Why is FGC practiced?  
[QID:15436]    At what ages do young women undergo female genital cutting?  
[QID:15435]    What is the difference between FGC, female circumcision, and FGM?  
[QID:15498]    Why is female genital cutting a human rights issue?  
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