Embodiment,Pain,and Circumcision in Somali-Canadian Women (2012)
This study is a Exploratory research regarding III FGM/C with the following characteristics:
Author(s): Glazer,Emily
FGM/C Type(s): III
Health area of focus: Embodiment,Pain.
Objective: Aimed to explore this possibly primarily through subjective reports of pain and secondarily,by objective measures of pain including hyperalgesia localized to the vulvar
region,and survey reports of multiple regions of pain (in the vulvar region or globally
Study Population: Women who underwent FGC in Somalia before moving to Canada
Findings: All participants stated that they had Pharaonic circumcision or infibulation (Type III) and were completely or partially de-infibulated for marriage (sexual intercourse) and/or childbirth. Women used terms like ―opened‖ or ―closed‖ to describe de/infibulation,while one woman described herself as ―repaired.‖ This was confirmed upon physical examination. Of thirty-seven total births in the group,eighteen births were delivered by C-section (48.6%). The modal age of FGC was seven years old; three women could not recall the precise ages (―9 or 10‖) so an average for the group was not obtained. Pain conveyed in the interviews The assessments described among different readers above granted a common sense of what degree,amount or nature of pain was conveyed in each interview. As an outcome of our grading system,five women were labeled ―zero/average‖,three women ―one/ache‖,two women ―two/hurt‖ and four women ―three/pain.‖ Nine women,therefore,were present on the pain-hurtache
spectrum.
Geographical coverage
Region(s):North America
Country(ies):Canada