Title: Prevalence of female genital mutilation and its effects on birth outcomes: A cross sectional study at a tertiary care hospital in Somalia
Abstract:
Introduction: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a traditional harmful practice that involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is mostly performed by traditional practitioners who have no medical training and causes an adverse impact on the female’s health, so the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of FGM and its effects on birth outcomes.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among all female patients attended at the outpatient department of obstetrics and gynecology of Mogadishu Somali Training and Research Hospital in one year of the study period. Female participants aged 18–50 who had a history of FGM were included in the study. The sample of the study was 255 women, with data including sociodemographic and the type of FGM as determined by an examination, using a convenient sampling technique.
Results: The study, which included 255 participants, found that type 3 FGM accounted for 44.3% of all cases, followed by type 2 FGM at 31.8% and type 1 FGM at 61 (23.9%). Although health workers are less likely to perform FGM, traditional practitioners (56.4%) still handled the majority of the procedure. Additionally, circumcised women had lower levels of education and generally resided in rural regions. There was no difference between the gravida groups in terms of their gravid state. Higher risks of stillbirth, episiotomy, outlet obstruction, perineal tear, need for emergency surgery, admission to a neonatal intensive care unit, and new-borns with an Apgar score below 7 were among the birth outcomes associated with FGM.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that FGM has harmful health impacts, particularly birth effects that might have long- or short-term effects on the mother and the new-born. There must be awareness in place to end FGM and a goal to include precise data for researches on the issue for evidence-based data.
