Is there an association between female circumcision and perinatal death?
OBJECTIVE
In Sweden, a country with high standards of obstetric care, the high rate of perinatal mortality among children of immigrant women from the Horn of Africa raises the question of whether there is an association between female circumcision and perinatal death.


METHODS
To investigate this, we examined a cohort of 63 perinatal deaths of infants born in Sweden over the period 1990-96 to circumcised women.


RESULTS
We found no evidence that female circumcision was related to perinatal death. Obstructed or prolonged labour, caused by scar tissue from circumcision, was not found to have any impact on the number of perinatal deaths.


CONCLUSIONS
The results do not support previous conclusions that genital circumcision is related to perinatal death, regardless of other circumstances, and suggest that other, suboptimal factors contribute to perinatal death among circumcised migrant women.
Essen
Birgitta
B
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital MAS, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden. Birgitta.Essen@obst.mas.lu.se
Bodker
Birgit
B
Sjoberg
N-O
NO
Gudmundsson
Saemundur
S
Ostergren
P-O
PO
Langhoff-Roos
Jens
J
D000328:Adult; D000351:Africa, Eastern / Q000208:ethnology; D019093:Circumcision, Female / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000208:ethnology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology