TY  - BOOK
AU  - Cyprian, Fredrick
AU  - Gumodoka, Balthazar
TI  - Obstetric Complications Among Pregnant Women with Female Genital Mutilation in Tarime District, Mara
PY  - 2016///
CY  - Mwanza, Tanzania: 
PB  - Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences [CUHAS – Bugando] :   
KW  -  
N2  - Abstract: 

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) consist all procedures that involve partial or total of female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons. Between 100 and 140 million girls and women in the world are estimated to have undergone such procedure, and 3 million girls are estimates to be risk of undergone the procedure each year. FGM has been reported to occur in all parts of the world, but it is most prevalent in the western, eastern, and north eastern regions of Africa, some countries in Asia and the Middle East and among certain immigrant communities in North America and Europe. 

In spite many researches addressing the magnitude of FGM, and bad obstetric outcomes associated with this practice in different parts of the world, in Tanzania limited data are present showing the obstetric complications associated with FGM so as to raise awareness and taking action for complete elimination of FGM.

Methods: A cross-sectional case comparative study was carried out among pregnant women with FGM and those without FGM attended two centres. Tarime district hospital and Tarime Goodwill Foundation health centre obstetric wards. Duration of the study was 2 months, between August – September 2015. The aim of the study was to assess obstetric complications among pregnant women with female genital mutilation and those without female genital mutilation at Tarime district. The data was obtained from eligible respondents who had informed consent. Each participant was assured that all the information given was confidential and for the research purpose and no names were noted in the questionnaires. The questions were open ended as well as closed ended and structured for computerization. Data was analysed using SPSS 17.0 version. 

Results: Data was collected on total of 200 cases and controls, out of 100 women who underwent FGM 31% developed different obstetric complications during previous pregnancies in comparison with 15% of 100 women without FGM. The most observed obstetrical complications observed during and after delivery of the current pregnancy, pregnant women with FGM showed increased frequency of complications with 29% perineal tears, 26% PPH and 23% perinatal deaths in comparison with women without FGM whereby there were no reported PPH, 6% perinatal deaths as well as 16% reported perineal tears.

Furthermore the study elucidated that most pregnant women with FGM participated in the study have heard about FGM 92% of all cases, but at the same time less informed about complications related with the practice as only 14% were aware of the complications. In contrast with the control group whereby most of them heard about FGM 74% as well as approximately a half of the pregnant women without FGM (46%) knows the complications associated the practice. 

Conclusion: FGM has been associated with increased frequency of bad obstetric outcomes as the study shows, and the practice still continues because women undergoing the procedure are not aware of the bad obstetric outcomes which may arise as the result of FGM, thus the community needs programs which are evidence based so as to raise awareness on bad obstetric outcomes associated with FGM.     


ER  -