What are the health problems caused by FGC?
FGC can cause a range of health problems, both short-term and long-term, depending upon the degree of the circumcision. But, the majority of circumcised women don’t suffer long-term complications. Those listed here tend to occur to some of the women who have undergone the most severe form. Short-term health problems: • Bleeding or hemorrhaging: This happens in about 25 percent of both girls and women who have FGC. If the bleeding persists, girls can die. • Infection: The wound can get infected and develop into an abscess. Girls can get fevers, sepsis (a blood infection), shock and even death, if left untreated. • Pain: Girls are routinely cut without being numbed or having anesthesia. The worst pain tends to occur the day after when they have to urinate onto the wound. Long-term health problems (usually occurs to women with the most severe form of FGC): • Problems going to the bathroom. In severe cases, women are left with only a small opening for urinating and menstrual bleeding. This
