SPECIAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Obstetrics and Gynecology 2025 February;77(1):56-61

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-606X.23.05344-7

Copyright © 2023 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

What’s new on female genital mutilation/cutting? Recent findings about urogynecologic complications, psychological issues, and obstetric outcomes

Alessandro LIBRETTI ^{1, 2} ✉, Christian CORSINI ^{3, 4}, Valentino REMORGIDA ^{1, 2}

¹ Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Maggiore della Carità University Hospital, Novara, Italy; ² School of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy; ³ Division of Experimental Oncology, Unit of Urology, URI, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy; ⁴ Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C or FGM) are injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Every year, over 4 million girls are at risk of FGM. Complications of this practice are very common and some of them are still under investigation. The purpose of this short narrative review is to highlight and summarize the main ones. Psychologic and psychiatric sequelae, chronic vulvar pain, urogenital symptoms, pelvic organs prolapse, sexual disfunction, cervical dysplasia and infections resulted as chronic sequalae of FGM. Severe pain, excessive bleeding, and tissues swelling are acute consequences of FGM. Rates of caesarean section, time of second stage of delivery, post-partum blood loss (but not major hemorrhage), peri-clitoral and perineal injuries and episiotomy rates are higher in pregnant women with FGM, when compared with those non victims of mutilation. The female genital mutilation practice is often cause of severe urogynecologic, psychologic and obstetrics sequelae. Although several studies have been carried out on FMG complications and treatments, long term sequelae are still very common and deserve major attention and further research.

KEY WORDS: Complications; Female circumcision; Female genitalia