Obstetric and neonatal outcomes for women with reversed and non-reversed type III female genital mutilation.

OBJECTIVE

To record and compare obstetric and neonatal complication rates in women with reversed and non-reversed type III female genital mutilation (FGM).

METHODS

A retrospective observational study comparing cesarean delivery rates and neonatal outcomes of primiparous and multiparous women who had or had not undergone reversal of FGM III.

RESULTS

Of the 250 women, 230 (92%) had an FGM reversal. Of these, 50 (21.7%) were primiparous (cesarean delivery rate 17/50; 34%) and 180 (78.3%) were multiparous (cesarean delivery rate 28/180; 15.6%). Of the 20 women who had not had an FGM reversal, 7 (35%) were primiparous (cesarean delivery rate 5/7; 71.4%) and 13 (65%) were multiparous (cesarean delivery rate 7/13; 53.8%). The cesarean delivery rates for primiparae and multiparae were 32.9% and 25%, respectively. Multiparous women with FGM III reversal had a lower possibility of cesarean delivery compared with the hospital multiparous population (P=0.003) and multiparae who had not undergone FGM III reversal (P=0.007). There was no significant association between Apgar scores or blood loss at vaginal delivery and FGM reversal.

CONCLUSION

Reversal of FGM III significantly reduced the increased risk of cesarean delivery seen with multiparae who have FGM III.