There are 4,365 women in Spain over 50-years old who are beginning to notice hormonal changes in their bodies and who, furthermore, had their clitoris removed, usually during childhood (Female Genital Mutilation). 

Let that sink in… This information was published in the medical magazine, The Lancet on Wednesday the 23rd of last month.

“As women with genital mutilation pass their reproductive stage, they tend to disappear from research, clinical guidelines, and health policies,” states the article entitled, Making older women with female genital mutilation visible: new estimates for the EU-27, Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland.

It goes on to say, “However, the changes characteristic of menopause can interact with scars, altered anatomy, and other consequences, potentially worsening vaginal dryness, genito-urinary syndrome of menopause, and susceptibility to infections.”

Breaking down the figure by age groups, 3,225 women between 50 and 64 years old underwent ablation; 742 women between 65 and 74 years old, and 398 women over 75 years old, according to the results of the study by Livia Ortensi, a researcher at the University of Bologna, Italy. 

Given the lack of specific medical records, she came by  these figures through “indirect estimates based on recently published censuses.” What the study highlights is that “a major demographic shift is occurring: the ageing of migrant populations,” which exposes a “substantial group of women living with genital mutilation beyond their reproductive years.”

The estimate for the whole European Union is that around 163,000 mutilated women aged 50 or older reside there, representing one-third of the total affected women aged 15 and older (more than half a million). There are 96,000 between 50 and 64 years old; 38,000 from 65 to 74 years old, and nearly 30,000 over 75 years old. 

They come primarily from Indonesia, Egypt, and Somalia, but of those residing in Spain, the majority arrived from three countries: Guinea (29%), Nigeria (16%), and Senegal (11%). Within Europe, by country, those with the highest number of these cases are France, with 38,500; the Netherlands, with 32,000; and Italy, with 26,000.

(News: Spain)

Keywords, Ablation, Female Genital Mutilation, Post-Menopause, Research, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Norway, Netherlands, France, Italy, Indonesia, Egypt, Somalia, Female Genital Mutilation FGM

news, spain, ablation, female genital mutilation, post-menopause, research, guinea, nigeria, senegal, norway, netherlands, france, italy, indonesia, egypt, somalia, female genital mutilation FGM