Abstract
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an age-long practice in many parts of the world. Among the Nigerian Ibos childhood FGM is aimed at protecting the female from promiscuity while the adulthood type is usually a part of the marriage ceremony. A prospective observational study was conducted on 1000 consecutive Ibo females seen at the Obstetrics and Gynecology unit of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu. Of the 1000 women examined 354 were circumcised (35.4%). The circumcision rates were 83.3% 59.1% 39.3% 29.7% and 21.7% for the following birth cohorts: 1956-60 1961-65 1966-70 1971-75 1976-80 and 1981-85 respectively. 318 (89.8%) of the 354 circumcised women had clitoridectomy in addition to excision of the labia minora while the remaining 36 (10.2%) women had clitoridectomy alone. Overall prevalence of FGM (35.4%) in this study is much lower than the national average of 50-60% and the 68% recorded in a previous study 20 years earlier in the same hospital. Two factors are likely to be responsible for this trend: 1) the weak sociocultural basis of the practice in most parts of Ibo-land and 2) the rising rate of formal education among female Ibos. In conclusion FGM is a dying practice among the population implicating a healthy development among Nigerian Ibos.
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