LONDON, June 3 (Xinhua) -- A new study suggests that
women who have had genital mutilation are more likely to have their deliveries
complicated by haemorrhage, and the need for caesarean section or other surgical
interventions greatly increases, Lancet, a medical magazine, reported in the
latest issue.
Babies also face a greater chance of dying before or
during birth, the study showed.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a practice that
commonly involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for
cultural or other non-therapeutic purposes. The procedure is most common in
eastern Africa. According to a WHO estimate, more than 100 million women
and girls have had the procedure worldwide.
According to the report, in the study on examining
the effect of FGM on maternal and infant health, Australian scientists analyzed
data from 28,373 women in medical centers in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Sudan and
Burkina Faso, and found that women with any degree of FGM have a 15-55 percent
increased risk of stillbirth or early neonatal death.
Women with the most extensive FGM, which sometimes
involves stitching or narrowing of the vaginal opening, have a 30 percent
greater risk of having to undergo a caesarean section and also face a 70 percent
greater risk of haemorrhage shortly after childbirth compared with women who
have not had FGM.
The researchers said their babies were also more
likely to die during labor as the researchers observed one to two extra deaths
per 100 deliveries of mothers with FGM, against a background risk of 4-6 deaths
per 100 deliveries.
The researchers said that FGM is associated with
increased rates of genital and urinary tract infections, which can contribute to
pregnancy complications and in some cases leads to spontaneous abortion.
They remained uncertain about how FGM causes these
problems, but hypothesized that the presence of scar tissue from the mutilation
can make vaginal tissue less elastic, which could complicate natural birth.
Enditem
