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.
Which types are most common? Types I and II are the most common, but there is variation among countries. Type III – infibulation – is experienced by about 10 per cent of all affected women and is most likely to occur in Somalia, northern Sudan and Djibouti.
Type III is the most severe type of FGM, known as infibulation, which involves the narrowing of the vaginal orifice with the creation of a seal that is formed by cutting and then stitching the labia minora and/or the labia majora with or without excision of the clitoris.
In Type 3 FGM the labia are closed to seal the vagina leaving a single opening for menstruation and micturition (Figure 1). This means that during micturition, urine will need to run under the scar tissue before exiting through the small single perineal opening.
On the other hand, some circumcised women report having satisfying sexual relations including sexual desire, pleasure and orgasm. Female genital mutilation does not eliminate sexual pleasure totally for every woman who undergoes the procedure, but it does reduce the likely of orgasm.
Menstrual problems.
Obstruction of the vaginal opening may lead to painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea), irregular menses and difficulty in passing menstrual blood, particularly among women with Type III FGM.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but there's no medical reason for this to be done. It's also known as female circumcision or cutting, and by other terms, such as Sunna, gudniin, halalays, tahur, megrez and khitan, among others.
Although estimates of the prevalence of FGM vary, sources have consistently found the practice to be undergone by the majority of women in the Horn of Africa, in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso, as well as in Sudan and Egypt.
Why do people practice FGM? Many affected communities believe that FGM is a necessary custom to ensure that a girl is accepted within the community and eligible for marriage. Families who practice FGM on girls usually see it as a way of safeguarding their future.
Our study shows that some men distinctly wish the harmful practice of FGM to continue even if they believed their religion did not condone it. Their self-interest is to support polygamy in some communities and control the sexuality of their wives. This requires opposition and a voice from women.
The practice has been linked in some countries with rites of passage for women. FGM is usually performed by traditional practitioners using a sharp object such as a knife, a razor blade or broken glass.
Type IV is the mildest form and includes any form of other harm done to the genitalia by pricking, piercing, cutting, scraping, or burning. World Health Organization classification of female genital cutting. Type I, also known as clitoridectomy or sunna, involves removing part or all of the clitoris and/or the prepuce.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is any procedure that intentionally changes or injures the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is a crime in Australia. It's also a crime in Australia if performed on an Australian overseas.
Signs FGM might have taken place
Spending longer in the bathroom or toilet. Appearing quiet, anxious or depressed. Acting differently after an absence from school or college. Reluctance to go to the doctors or have routine medical examinations.
Known as khatna, khafz, and khafd, the procedure is performed on six- or seven-year-old girls and involves the total or partial removal of the clitoral hood.
There is no exact established region where FGM's origin is dated back to, however, scholars have proposed Ancient Egypt and Sudan. Others claim it originated from Ancient Rome, stating that FGM was implemented on the female slaves to prevent pregnancy and sexual relations.
FGM is practised predominantly within certain Muslim societies, but it also exists within some adjacent Christian and animist groups. The practice isn't required by most forms of Islam and fatwas have been issued forbidding FGM, favouring it, or leaving the decision to parents but advising against it.
FGM is most often carried out on young girls aged between infancy and 15 years old. It is often referred to as 'cutting', 'female circumcision', 'initiation', 'Sunna' and 'infibulation'.
The reason for this practice is ostensibly to reduce the libido of the female and promote sexual purity. Infibulation is also practiced in Ethiopia. This operation is limited to the north and northeast regions of Africa.
The entire clitoris is removed. The inner lips (labia minora) are either partially or totally removed. Type III – infibulation or 'Pharaonic' circumcision.
Some families choose to circumcise based on cultural or religious beliefs. Others choose to for hygiene or appearance. And some choose not to circumcise. Most circumcisions are done during the first 10 days (often within the first 48 hours) of a baby's life.
FGM/C, particularly type III, can be associated with urogynaecological complications due to injuries of the genitourinary tracts, scarring process, and physiologic changes such as obstructed micturition after infibulation, potentially leading to overactive bladder and urge incontinence [10, 13, 14, 35].
The removal of genital tissue involves removing necessary glands. “Changes in the microfauna that result, means the vaginal environment may become unfavourable to sperm, and also less able to guard against constant infection leading to further inflammation – all of which reduces fertility.”