Peer-reviewed article
Health Consequences of the Female Genital Mutilation: A Systematic Review Running title: Health Consequences of Female Genital Mutilation
Khadijeh Sarayloo, Robab Latifnejad Roudsari, Amy Elhadi ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This is a systematic review of the health consequences of female genital mutilation (FGM). The authors searched several academic databases for studies published from January 1990 to 2018. Eleven review studies met their criteria, and together these contained 288 relevant studies. The review reports that FGM was linked to physical, obstetric, sexual and psychological problems. The authors say the findings can inform services and decisions for women affected by FGM.
Key points
- Databases searched included PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, covering January 1990 to 2018.
- Eleven review studies met the criteria and contained 288 relevant studies on the risks of FGM.
- FGM had various physical, obstetric, sexual and psychological consequences.
- Women with FGM experienced more mental disturbances than other women, such as psychiatric diagnoses, anxiety, somatization, phobia and low self-esteem.
Limitations
The abstract does not name specific countries, effect sizes or the quality of the included reviews. It focuses on women and girls generally, so it does not show outcomes specific to children or how outcomes differ by type of FGM.
Abstract
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a general health concern. The World Health Organization has recognized it as a condition that endangers women’s health. This review study aimed to identify the types of health outcomes of FGM. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to create a critical view of the current evidence on the effect of circumcision on girls and women's health. In this study, we focused on the health risks of female circumcision. Academic databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, SID, IranMedex, Irandoc, and Magiran were searched with regard to the health consequences of FGM from January 1990 until 2018. Eleven review studies met the criteria and contained 288 relevant studies on the risks of FGM. It was suggested that FGM had various physical, obstetric, sexual, and psychological consequences. Women with FGM experienced mental disturbances (e.g., psychiatric diagnoses, anxiety, somatization, phobia, and low self-esteem) than other women. Our study can provide evidence on improving, changing behaviors, and making decisions on the quality of services offered to women suffering from FGM. [GMJ.2019;inpress:e1336]