Health education and clinical care of immigrant women with female genital mutilation/cutting who request postpartum reinfibulation.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the percentage of women with female genital mutilation/cutting who request postpartum reinfibulation, and to assess outcomes after specific care and counseling.

METHODS:

A retrospective review was undertaken of consecutive medical files of immigrant women with FGM/C who attended a center in Geneva, Switzerland, between April 1, 2010, and January 8, 2014. The number of postpartum reinfibulation requests and outcomes were assessed. If a patient requests postpartum reinfibulation despite receiving detailed information and counseling, a longer follow-up is arranged for further counseling.

RESULTS:

Among 196 women with FGM/C, 8 (4.1%) requested postpartum reinfibulation. All eight were of East African origin, had FGM/C type III, and received a longer and more targeted follow-up than did those who did not request reinfibulation. After at least 1year of follow-up, none of the eight was willing to undergo reinfibulation. One woman who attended the clinic only once during her first pregnancy consulted the emergency ward of the study center 3years later because of postcoital bleeding following infibulation performed in her home country a few months after her second delivery in Switzerland.

CONCLUSION:

Specific care and counseling for women with FGM/C type III can improve the acceptability of defibulation without reinfibulation.

• Authors: Jasmine Abdulcadir, Sophie McLaren, Michel Boulvain, Olivier Irion
• Journal: International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (Int J Gynaecol Obstet) Vol. 135 Issue 1 Pg. 69-72 (Oct 2016) ISSN: 1879-3479 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 27350225 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adult
• Circumcision, Female (ethnology)
• Counseling (methods)
• Emigrants and Immigrants (statistics & numerical data)
• Eritrea (ethnology)
• Female
• Health Education
• Humans
• Postpartum Period
• Practice Guidelines as Topic
• Reoperation (statistics & numerical data)
• Retrospective Studies
• Somalia (ethnology)
• Switzerland
• Young Adult