Female genital mutilation (FGM)

Female Genital Mutilation is the term used in UK law. In communities where it happens, other terms may be used such as female circumcision or cutting.

Other terms for FGM include:

• sunna,
• gudinlin
• halalays
• tahoor
• megrez
• khitan

FGM is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15. It can also happen just before marriage, during a woman's first pregnancy and after childbirth.

FGM is illegal in the UK. It's a form of violence against women and girls. If it's done to a child it's child abuse.

FGM can be very painful and can seriously harm the health of women and girls. It can also cause long-term problems with sex, childbirth and mental health.

All women and girls have the right to control what happens to their bodies and the right to say no to FGM.

Help is available if you have had FGM or you're worried that you or someone you know is at risk.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, contact the police immediately by dialling 999.

If you're concerned that you or someone you know may be at risk speak to a teacher or adult who you trust. You can also contact the NSPCC helpline on 0800 028 3550, email fgm.help@nspcc.org.uk or contact Childline on 0800 1111.

If you're under pressure to have FGM done on your daughter, ask a GP, your health visitor or another healthcare professional for help, or contact the NSPCC helpline.

If you have had FGM, you can get help from a specialist NHS gynaecologist or FGM service. Ask a GP, your midwife or any other healthcare professional about services in your area. 

Find out about National FGM Support Clinics and where to find them.

If you're a healthcare professional, you have professional responsibilities to safeguard and protect women and girls from FGM, with specific duties if caring for girls under 18 years of age.

You can also find guidance and resources about FGM for healthcare staff on the GOV.UK website. Staff can also access the NHS Learning Hub FGM Programme.

There are 4 main types of FGM:

• type 1 (clitoridectomy) – removing part or all of the clitoris
• type 2 (excision) – removing part or all of the clitoris and the inner labia (the lips that surround the vagina), with or without removal of the labia majora (the larger outer lips)
• type 3 (infibulation) – narrowing the vaginal opening by creating a seal, formed by cutting and repositioning the labia
• other harmful procedures to the female genitals, including pricking, piercing, cutting, scraping or burning the area

FGM is often done by traditional circumcisers or cutters who do not have any medical training. Anaesthetics and antiseptics are not generally used in traditional practice, and FGM is often carried out using knives, scissors, scalpels, pieces of glass or razor blades.

In some countries, FGM is carried out by health workers in private or public clinics. But this does not make it safe or acceptable.

FGM is often done without consent. It can involve coercion (pressure), threats, lies or physically being forced to have it done.

There are no health benefits to FGM and it can cause serious harm including:

• constant pain
• pain and difficulty having sex
• repeated infections, which can lead to infertility
• bleeding, cysts and abscesses
• problems peeing or holding pee in (incontinence)
• problems during labour and childbirth, which can be life-threatening for mother and baby

Some girls die from blood loss or infection as a direct result of the procedure.

FGM and sex

FGM can make it difficult and painful to have sex. It can also result in reduced sexual desire and a lack of pleasurable sensation.

Talk to your GP or another healthcare professional if you have sexual problems that you feel may be caused by FGM, as they can refer you to a special therapist who can help.

Sometimes a surgical procedure called a deinfibulation may be recommended, which can alleviate and improve some symptoms.

FGM and pregnancy

Some women who have had FGM may find it difficult to become pregnant, and those who do conceive can have problems in childbirth.

If you're expecting a baby, your midwife should ask you if you have had FGM at your first antenatal (booking) appointment.

It's important to tell your midwife if you think this has happened to you so they can arrange appropriate care for you and your baby.

FGM and mental health

FGM can be an extremely traumatic experience that can cause emotional difficulties throughout life, including:

• depression
• anxiety
• flashbacks to the time of the cutting
• nightmares and other sleep problems
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• self-harm

Some women may not remember having FGM, especially if it was done when they were an infant.

Talk to a GP or another healthcare professional if you're experiencing emotional or mental health problems that may be a result of FGM. Help and support is available.

Surgery to open up the vagina can be carried out, if necessary. This is called deinfibulation.

It's sometimes known as a reversal, although this name is misleading as the procedure does not replace any removed tissue and will not undo the damage caused. 

But it can help many problems caused by FGM.

Surgery may be recommended for:

• women who are unable to have sex or have difficulty peeing as a result of FGM
• pregnant women at risk of problems during labour or delivery as a result of FGM

You can also have the surgery if you want it.

Deinfibulation should be carried out before getting pregnant, if possible.

It can be done in pregnancy or labour, but ideally should be done within the first 2 trimesters (by 20 weeks) of pregnancy.

The surgery involves making a cut (incision) to open the scar tissue over the entrance to the vagina.

It's usually performed under local anaesthetic in a clinic and you will not normally need to stay overnight.

A small number of women need either a general anaesthetic or an injection in their back (epidural), which may involve a short stay in hospital.

FGM is practised for a variety of cultural and social reasons, including tradition, community acceptance, and beliefs about marriageability, virginity and cleanliness.

There are no acceptable reasons that justify FGM. It's a harmful practice that has no health benefits.

FGM usually happens to girls whose mothers, grandmothers or extended female family members have had FGM themselves, or if their father comes from a community where it's carried out.

FGM may be carried out anywhere in the world, but it often happens in many parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Girls who were born in the UK or are resident here, but whose families originate from an FGM-practising community, are at greater risk of FGM happening to them.

FGM is illegal in the UK.

It's an offence to:

• perform FGM (including taking a child abroad for FGM)
• help a woman or girl perform FGM on herself in or outside the UK
• help anyone perform FGM outside the UK on a UK national or resident
• fail to protect a girl who you're responsible for from FGM

Anyone who performs FGM can face up to 14 years in prison.

Anyone found guilty of failing to protect a girl from FGM can face up to 7 years in prison.

The summer holidays are when many young girls are taken abroad to have FGM, often to their family's birth country. They may not be aware this is the reason for their travel.

The FGM statement, also known as the FGM health passport, highlights the fact FGM is a serious criminal offence in the UK.

If you're worried about FGM, print out this statement, take it abroad with you and show it to your family.

Keep the declaration in your passport, purse or bag, and carry it with you all the time.

Download the statement opposing female genital mutilation GOV.UK. It is available in English and also in other languages.

There are leaflets for patients who want to know more about FGM on GOV.UK.

These are available in the following languages:

Mwy o wybodaeth am FGM – Welsh version (PDF, 164kb)

ስለ ኤፍ ጂ ኤም ተጨማሪ መረጃ – Amharic version (PDF, 472kb)

مزيد من المعلومات حول ختان الإناث - Arabic version (PDF, 228kb)

FGM اطلاعات بیشتر درباره – Farsi version (PDF, 207kb)

Renseignements complémentaires sur les MGF – French version (PDF, 167kb)

Informasi selengkapnya tentang FGM – Indonesian version (PDF, 160kb)

FGM زانیاری زیاتر دەربارەی – Kurdish Sorani version (PDF, 245kb)

Macluumaad dheeraad ah ee ku saabsan FGM – Somali version (PDF, 170kb)

Habari zaidi kuhusu ukeketaji wa wanawake – Swahili version (PDF, 160kb)

ብዛዕባ ኤፍ ጂ ኤም ተወሳኺ ሓበሬታ – Tigrinya version (PDF, 491kb)

ایف جی ایم کے بارے میں مزید معلومات – Urdu version (PDF, 235kb)

There is an Easy Read leaflet to support conversations about FGM with people with a learning disability. FGM Easy Read leaflet (Royal College of General Practitioners website; PDF only, 3.9MB)