Complications and health hazards of female genital mutilation

Female Genital Mutilation harms girls and women in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal genital tissues and interferes with normal functions of girl’s and women’s bodies. The complications could be physical, sexual, obstetrical, and psychological:

Immediate complications:

• Severe pain;
• Excessive bleeding;
• Genital tissue swelling;
• Infections e.g. cellulitis, vulvar abscess, hepatitis c, and tetanus;
• Urinary retention;
• Injury to surrounding genital tissue;
• Neurogenic shock;
• Death.

Long-term complications:

• Scaring leading to ugly look, urethral stricture, labial fusion and keloid;
• Painful urination;
• Difficult delivery with the risk of childbirth complications;
• Clitoral cyst.

Psychological problems:

• Post-traumatic stress syndrome;
• Anxiety;
• Depression;
• Low self esteem.

Long-term sexual problems:

• Fear of sexual intercourse;
• Vaginismus (spasm of muscles around the vagina);
• Dyspareunia (pain during intercourse);
• Frigidity (loss of desire).