Health consequences of female genital mutilation/cutting in the Gambia, evidence into action

• Main Authors: Hechavarría Suiberto, Kaplan Adriana, Martín Miguel, Bonhoure Isabelle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2011-10-01
• Series: Reproductive Health
• Subjects: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting; Gambia; Sexual and Reproductive Health; Africa
• Online Access: http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/8/1/26

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a harmful traditional practice with severe health complications, deeply rooted in many Sub-Saharan African countries. In The Gambia, the prevalence of FGM/C is 78.3% in women aged between 15 and 49 years. The objective of this study is to perform a first evaluation of the magnitude of the health consequences of FGM/C in The Gambia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected on types of FGM/C and health consequences of each type of FGM/C from 871 female patients who consulted for any problem requiring a medical gynaecologic examination and who had undergone FGM/C in The Gambia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of patients with different types of FGM/C were: type I, 66.2%; type II, 26.3%; and type III, 7.5%. Complications due to FGM/C were found in 299 of the 871 patients (34.3%). Even type I, the form of FGM/C of least anatomical extent, presented complications in 1 of 5 girls and women examined.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study shows that FGM/C is still practiced in all the six regions of The Gambia, the most common form being type I, followed by type II. All forms of FGM/C, including type I, produce significantly high percentages of complications, especially infections.</p>