Background: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a harmful traditional practice with severe health\r\ncomplications, deeply rooted in many Sub-Saharan African countries. In The Gambia, the prevalence of FGM/C is\r\n78.3% in women aged between 15 and 49 years. The objective of this study is to perform a first evaluation of the\r\nmagnitude of the health consequences of FGM/C in The Gambia.\r\nMethods: Data were collected on types of FGM/C and health consequences of each type of FGM/C from 871\r\nfemale patients who consulted for any problem requiring a medical gynaecologic examination and who had\r\nundergone FGM/C in The Gambia.\r\nResults: The prevalence of patients with different types of FGM/C were: type I, 66.2%; type II, 26.3%; and type III,\r\n7.5%. Complications due to FGM/C were found in 299 of the 871 patients (34.3%). Even type I, the form of FGM/C\r\nof least anatomical extent, presented complications in 1 of 5 girls and women examined.\r\nConclusion: This study shows that FGM/C is still practiced in all the six regions of The Gambia, the most common\r\nform being type I, followed by type II. All forms of FGM/C, including type I, produce significantly high percentages\r\nof complications, especially infections.
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