Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)

What Is Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)?

Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons."1 These procedures could mean piercing, cutting, removing, or sewing closed all or part of a girl's or woman's external genitals.

Worldwide, as many as 200 million girls and women have experienced FGM/C.2 Researchers in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Reproductive Health (CDC) estimate that as many as half a million girls and women in the United States (U.S.) have undergone FGM/C in the past or may be at risk for undergoing FGM/C in the future.3

Although FGM/C is often viewed as part of the culture of the countries where it is practiced, it has no health benefits. In fact, it can lead to immediate and long-term health problems that can affect obstetric, gynecological, sexual, and psychological health. A scoping review on FGM/C in the United States found that many women and men from FGM/C-practicing countries living in the United States oppose FGM/C.4 Also, women with FGM/C have significant physical and mental health needs and have found US health care providers to lack understanding of FGM/C. 4

To learn more about FGM/C in the United States, please visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women's Health webpage and factsheet on FGM/C. You can learn more about FGM/C globally on the WHO website.

What Is CDC doing?

Estimating the potential burden of FGM/C in the United States

To estimate the potential burden of FGM/C in the United States, in 2016, CDC published indirect estimates of the number of US-resident women potentially affected by or at risk for FGM/C. The data showed that as many as 513,000 girls and women could have experienced FGM/C or be at risk of experiencing it in the future. This number was a three-fold increase from a 1997 estimate and was largely due to the growing number of US residents from countries where FGM/C is practiced.

Documenting FGM/C in the United States

CDC engaged the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago to design, pilot, and carry out the Women's Health Needs Study (WHNS). WHNS is a multi-site study in the United States to collect information on FGM/C and related health characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes. The study looks at US-resident women aged 18 to 49 who were born, or whose mothers were born, in a country where FGM/C is a common practice.

The WHNS pilot study was completed in 2019. The study was implemented in 2021 in four US communities with high concentrations of populations from high FGM/C-prevalence countries.

WHNS collected information on women's health experiences and needs in selected communities in the United States with high concentrations of residents from countries where FGM/C is prevalent. WHNS assessed the extent to which FGM/C affects women in these communities, women's attitudes about continuing the practice, and their health experiences. Findings on women's health needs, experiences, and attitudes related to FGM/C may be used to plan programs, services, and prevention efforts.

Among the 1,132 women who participated in the WHNS multi-site study, 55% experienced FGM/C and most women (91%) believed that FGM/C should be stopped.5 Compared to women without FGM/C, women with FGM/C were more likely to report health concerns related to childbirth, reproductive health, sexual health, and feeling sad. 5

To learn more about the WHNS, please visit NORC'S webpage on the study.

Related Links

• CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Global Migration Health (DGMH) includes information on FGM/C in their Refugee Health Guidelines.

• FGM/C fact sheet from the HHS Office on Women's Health discusses FGM/C types, health problems associated with the practice, and where it is common, among other topics.

• WHO comprehensive FGM/C information.

• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) prevalence estimates of FGM/C globally, as well as publications and resources related to FGM/C in countries where the practice is common.