Types of Female Genital Cutting

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HealthWiki > Where Women Have No Doctor > Chapter 30: Female Genital Cutting > Types of Female Genital Cutting

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In this chapter:

 

In this chapter:

There are 4 types of female genital cutting. All can cause pain, bleeding, infection, and sometimes death.

1. The outer clitoris and skin around it is partly or completely removed.
2. The clitoris and inner folds of the genitals, and sometimes the outer folds, are partly or completely removed. This is called excision.
3. The outside genitals are cut away, and the opening to the vagina is sewn almost closed. This is called infibulation. A small hole is left for urine and menstrual blood to flow out. This type of cutting is the most dangerous and causes the most serious health problems.
4. Other forms of genital cutting include piercing, pricking, scraping, and cauterizing (cutting and then burning).

The way a girl is cut varies in different places, but cutting is almost always treated as a ceremony marking the passage of a girl from childhood into adulthood.

This page was updated:13 Nov 2023