Sexual quality of life in women who have undergone female genital mutilation: a case–control study

Abstract

Please cite this paper as: Andersson S, Rymer J, Joyce D, Momoh C, Gayle C. Sexual quality of life in women who have undergone female genital mutilation: a case–control study. BJOG 2012;119:1606–1611.Objective To investigate the sexual quality of life of women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) and compare them with a similar group who has not undergone FGM.Design Case–control study.Setting A large central London teaching hospital.Population A total of 73 women who had undergone FGM and 37 control women, who had not undergone FGM but were from a similar cultural background where FGM is practiced.Methods The women completed a questionnaire containing the Sexual Quality of Life‐Female (SQOL‐F) questionnaire.Main outcome measures SQOL‐F score.Results Women who have undergone FGM of any type have a significantly lower (P < 0.001) overall SQOL‐F score than control women (mean = 62.44, SD = 27.93 versus mean = 88.84, SD = 13.73). Women who were sexually active and had undergone FGM type III differed the most from sexually active controls (P < 0.05) in their SQOL‐F score. Women who were sexually inactive but who had undergone FGM reported significantly lower overall SQOL‐F scores (P = 0.015) than sexually inactive controls, but were not differentiated by type of FGM.Conclusion FGM significantly reduces women’s sexual quality of life, based on the results of the SQOL‐F questionnaire.