| Background: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) or female circumcision is the procedure of eliminating
some or all parts of the external female genitalia. FGM/C is carried out by traditional circumcisers.
They usually use cutting tools like a blade or straight-razor. Although FGM/C is well described in the African
continent and some Arabic countries, data from Iran are scarce.
Objectives: The major objective of this current study was to investigate the effects of FGM/C on the female
sexual function of married women compared to the non-circumcised women in the Kurdistan province
of Iran.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted in a sample of 280 married women (140 circumcisedwomen
and 140 non-circumcised-women) who referred to the healthcare centers for vaccination, midwifery,
or family planning services. Participants were requested to complete the Persian-translated version of
the Female Sexual Function Index.
Main outcome measures: The total score of the FSFI and its individual domains.
Results: Of the circumcised women, 51.4% reported circumcision procedures before the age of 3 years.
Religion motivation (53.6%) was mentioned as the most important factor for the family leading to FGM/
C. Almost all operations were performed by traditional circumcisers. Non-circumcised women had
significantly higher Persian-FSFI total score (25.3 ± 4.34) compared to the circumcised women (17.9 ± 5.39).
Conclusion: Sexual function in women with FGM/C is adversely altered. In Kurdistan province women,
FGM/C is associated with reduction of scores of Persian-FSFI on all domain scores. Education in general
and informing the people that FGM/C is not a religious Hadith certainly would have a great impact on
the suffering of the women from FGM/C as well as the level of “desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction,
and pain in the sexual function of women |