Amsterdam hospital appointed as expertise center to help women after genital mutilation

The Ministry of Public Health appointed Amsterdam UMC to be the expertise center on helping women after female genital mutilation. Women who have been circumcised can have all kinds of psychological, physical, and sexual complaints. The Amsterdam hospital will study how to best help with these issues in the form of recovery operations, psychological support, and sexological assistance.

Female genital mutilation can take several forms, ranging in severity from “mild” - where the visible part of the clitoris is removed - to severe - where the vagina is narrowed by cutting away and joining the labia minora and labia majora. Common physical complaints after this mutilation include pain, difficulty urinating, bladder infections, and problems with sex, fertility, and childbirth.

Female genital mutilation typically happens without the woman’s consent and often at a young age. Many women struggle with psychological complaints afterward. “Many women feel damaged and literally incomplete,” said Emmy van den Boogaard, a gynecologist at Amsterdam UMC and coordinator of the study.

Durinng the study, the patient and involved doctors will together determine which help will best suit her specific complaints and situation. “This could involve surgery but also help from a psychologist or sexologist. Participants are closely monitored throughout the study. The research is expected to last five years,” the hospital said.

On 1 January 2018, there were almost 41,000 circumcised women in the Netherlands. An estimated 4,200 girls are at risk of female genital mutilation in the next two decades. “I hope that this study will also contribute to removing the barriers to seeking help after female circumcision,” Van den Boogaard said.

“The goal of repair surgery is not to make the genital area look as good as possible aesthetically, as is often thought. It is important that the genitals function properly, but our goal is above all that the woman who seeks our help feels good about the help she receives and is satisfied with the result,” she said.