International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

As African nations look to ban female circumcision, a new report has indicated that many women in the developed world are in fact paying for such operations.

BJOG reports that patients are ignoring the risks to their health by undergoing treatment for cosmetic reasons.

The paper's co-author, Sarah Creighton, a consultant gynaecologist at London's University College Hospital, UK, claimed that women who undergo the procedure may experience similar difficulties in childbirth to African females who have been subjected to genital mutilation.

She said women who have undergone such circumcision are more likely to experience significant tearing and bleeding after labour, and even the death of their babies, if they give birth naturally.

Dr Creighton commented: "Labial surgery needs to be rigorously evaluated in future, and for longer term.

"Furthermore, quality research is needed to improve our understanding of the psychological drivers behind women's decision to sacrifice sexually sensitive tissue that contributes to erotic experiences, for a certain genital appearance."

Last year, UK-based medical group Surgicare reported that the number of women undergoing labial surgery had increased by 700 per cent since 2005.

Posted by David Smith