Female genital cutting practices in Burkina Faso and Mali and their negative health outcomes

Observations of the types of female genital cutting and possible associated gynecological and delivery complications were undertaken in 21 clinics in rural Burkina Faso and in four rural and four urban clinics in Mall. Women who came to the clinics for services that included a pelvic exam were inclu ded in the study, and trained clinic staff observed the presence and type o f cut and any associated complications. Ninety-three percent of the women i n the Burkina Faso clinics and 94 percent of the women in the Mall clinics had undergone genital cutting. In Burkina Faso, type I (clitoridectomy) was the most prevalent (56 percent), whereas in Mall the more severe type 2 cu t (excision) was the most prevalent (74 percent); 5 percent of both samples had undergone type 3 cutting (infibulation). Logistic regression analyses show significant positive relationships between the severity of genital cut ting and the probability that a woman would have gynecological and obstetri c complications.