Running Header: The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

Dina Aassoum

American Literature

Monday, April 30th, 2018

The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

Abstract

When speaking about circumcision or genital mutilation as a whole, most people immediately

think about male circumcision or mutilation as in that of piercings and genital accessories. For

those like myself, female circumcision or cutting is unheard of, and abstract concept too

horrendous to be true. FGM is a practice in which there is the partial or total removal of the

external part of a woman’s genitals for non-medical reasons. This procedure, which is usually

not carried out by a professional and with very elementary tools such as a razorblade or a knife,

usually comes hand in hand with a lot of complications and problems in the future. Due to the

fact that every woman’s experience with FGM is different, there is a plethora of short term, long

term, and psychological effects on the woman depending on the severity of her respective

procedure.

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The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

“I screamed so hard I lost my voice for days” says one of the women who underwent

female genital mutilation. In order to achieve the full comprehension of the side effects of female

genital mutilation, the term and process must first be defined and comprehended thoroughly.

FGM, as defined by the World Health Organization, comprises all procedures that involve

partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital

organs for non-medical reasons. The procedure is one of very traditional roots and is deeply

ingrained in the culture of a many tribes and societies, specifically those in the West African

region. The “surgery” is elementary in every sense. An article from Al Jazeera published in 2017

also found that the process is usually performed by elderly family members who have no medical

background and very little experience with female genitalia. In addition, the procedure is usually

carried out using very basic household tools (which are sometimes rusted) such as razor blades,

knives, or scalpels. This is only made even more gruesome by the fact that most of the victims

are usually very young, between birth and the age of fifteen.

As stated by an article published by UNICEF this very year, the justification for this

procedure is mainly based on female purity as a means of controlling women's sexuality. In most

societies where FGM is practiced, the transition from girl to woman is marked by this procedure,

and for many families, a woman is not eligible for marriage if she has not been cut. In more

ways than one, FGM is a social obligation that is usually based on tradition, and in some cases,

religious demand.

Female Genital Mutilation is a very varied procedure and the range of operations has

been categorized by the World Health Organization into four categories ranging from mild to

extreme. These four categories are:

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The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

Type 1: Often referred to as clitoridectomy, this is the partial or total removal of the

clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals), and in very rare cases, only

the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris).

Type 2: Often referred to as excision, this is the partial or total removal of the clitoris and

the labia minora (the inner folds of the vulva), with or without excision of the labia majora (the

outer folds of skin of the vulva ).

Type 3: Often referred to as infibulation (also known to be the most severe form) is the

narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by

cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora, sometimes through stitching, with or

without removal of the clitoris (clitoridectomy).

Type 4: This includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for

non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.

Deinfibulation refers to the practice of cutting open the sealed vaginal opening in a

woman who has been infibulated, which is often necessary for improving health and well-being

as well as to allow intercourse or to facilitate childbirth (WHO, 2018).

A psychological study on FGM survivors has found that it is inevitable that a woman

who underwent such a procedure in such a sensitive area of her body should experience some, if

not many kinds of shock. This shock starts from the moment the woman is laid down for the

cutting to be performed. A series of immediate side effects can seen from that point forward.

From a psychological point of view, many women experience immediate mental trauma from the

pain, shock, or force used by the person carrying out the cutting (Chung Serene, 2016). This is

expected because most victims of the cutting are forced into the antiquated tradition, or in other

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The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

cases, too young to understand what is about to be done to them until they are in the designated

cutting room held down by a non-medical overseer.

In addition to the immediate psychological trauma resulted from the cutting, there is a list

of physical trauma that women experience in response to the gruesome cutting. Ofcourse, it is

important to remember that every woman or girl who undergoes is different case because of the

multiple types of cutting and the different possible tools. However, it is certainly safe to claim

that no woman is likely to escape the very painful and traumatic complications experienced

immediately after the cutting is done. According to the World Health Organization, immediate

complications can include (WHO, 2016):

● severe pain

● excessive bleeding (haemorrhage)

● genital tissue swelling

● fever

● infections e.g., tetanus

● urinary problems

● wound healing problems

● injury to surrounding genital tissue

● shock

● death.

The World Health Organization further explains that many of these complications result

from the poor conditions with which the procedure is carried out. For example, the severe pain,

genital tissue swelling, and infections are usually caused by the lack of hygienic conditions the

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The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

procedure takes place in, and materials with which the cutting is done. The fever, wound healing

problems, urinary problems, and injury to surrounding tissue is generally the result of the

non-professional manner with which the cutting is performed. As previously stated, the

circumcision is usually carried out by elderly members of the community or those who have little

to no medical experience (WHO, 2016).

In addition to the immediate and short term consequences, there is a number of long term

obstacles that the women who underwent the cutting are forced to live with for the remainder of

their lives. Unlike many of the immediate complications which could be resolved using the right

medical care if it were to be provided, many of the long term effects are conditions with no

medical solution (Al Jazeera, 2017). The United Nations World Health Organization lists a

number of long term effects in addition to the immediate complications. These long term

consequences include:

● urinary problems (painful urination, urinary tract infections);

● vaginal problems (discharge, itching, bacterial vaginosis and other infections);

● menstrual problems (painful menstruations, difficulty in passing menstrual blood, etc.);

● scar tissue and keloid;

● sexual problems (pain during intercourse, decreased satisfaction, etc.);

● increased risk of childbirth complications (difficult delivery, excessive bleeding,

caesarean section, need to resuscitate the baby, etc.) and newborn deaths;

● need for later surgeries: for example, the FGM procedure that seals or narrows a vaginal

opening (type 3) needs to be cut open later to allow for sexual intercourse and childbirth

(deinfibulation). Sometimes genital tissue is stitched again several times, including after

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The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

childbirth, hence the woman goes through repeated opening and closing procedures,

further increasing both immediate and long-term risks;

● psychological problems (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, low

self-esteem, etc.);

● health complications of female genital mutilation.

These long term conflictions can be detrimental to a woman’s life depending on the

severity of the procedure she underwent previously. The United Nations World Health

Organization further claims that affected women usually have a lot of trouble with their sexuality

and intercourse later in their lives. More severely, many FGM victims have severe problems

getting pregnant, throughout their pregnancy, and during labor. In many cases, women have to

go through deinfibulation, or vaginal re-opening, in order for them to have sexual intercourse or

attempt at giving birth. Even then, the pain that is accompanied with intercourse or birth is

unbearable due to the scar tissue possibly tearing or other consequences of the vaginal alteration.

Lastly, it is important for us to give equal importance to the psychological effects of the

cutting just like the physical effects. In reality, some women can heal from the health risks and

complications, but no one can heal their minds and make them forget the gruesome procedure

they lived through, especially if it was forced upon them. A psychological study published by

Serene Chung reveals that from the moment the patient is subjected to the situation of the

cutting, the psychological aspect of the surgery starts playing its role. Signs of trauma and shock

are observed even before the patient undergoes the cutting. This is usually a result of the patient

being forced, or in many cases, pinned down by the members conducting the cutting.(Serene

Chung, 2016) The psychological trauma usually follows these women throughout the rest of their

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The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

lives and it becomes, as we've seen, an unfortunate long term consequence of the procedure

(WHO, 2016). Psychological effects include PTSD, anxiety, depression, and severe trust issues

between women, their partners and families (Serene Chung, 2016). Many women spend their

lifetime with nightmares of the day they were cut and the inhumane pain they were subjected to

for such a primitive, antiquated, and senseless reason. Women who are affected psychologically

by FGM were categorized into three major categories by scientists in the Netherlands who

conducted research on a group of females from African countries that had been through female

genital mutilation.

● The Adaptives: these women are overcoming the FGM experience and are able to talk

about what bothers them.

● The Disempowered: these women feel angry and defeated, and do not talk about what

was done to them, feeling ashamed, alone and disempowered.

● The Traumatised: these women have suffered a lot of pain and sadness. They have

recurrent memories, sleep problems and chronic stress; they feel misunderstood in their

immediate environment and by health providers. These women may isolate themselves

and experience a high incidence of anxiety/depression (2012, pp.689-690).

Whether it’s physical or psychological, immediate or long term, the side effects of FGM are

surely to be felt by every single woman who has experienced the most vulnerable part of her

body being cut by a non-professional against her will, and for reasons they are usually too young

to unders

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The Side Effects of Female Genital Mutilation

Works Cited

“Female Genital Mutilation.” ​World Health Organization​, World Health Organization, 31

January 2018,

​www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation​.

“The Psychological Effects of Female Genital Mutilation.” 28Toomany,

www.28toomany.org/blog/2016/may/16/the-psychological-effects-of-female-genital-mutilation-r

esearch-blog-by-serene-chung/​.

What is Female Genital Mutilation or FGM? (2017, October 05). Retrieved from

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/10/female-genital-mutilation-fgm-1710041014

13764.html

Vloeberghs, E., Knipscheer, J., van der Kwaak, A., van den Muijsenbergh, M. (2012)

Coping and chronic psychosocial consequences of female genital mutilation in the Netherlands,

Ethnicity & Health, 17(6), pp.677-695.

U. (2018, March 5). What you need to know about female genital mutilation. Retrieved from

https://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_endFGM.html

W. (2018). Health risks of female genital mutilation (FGM). Retrieved from

http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/health_consequences_fgm/en/

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