Prevalence and Associated Factors of Female Genital Mutilation among Antenatal Clinic Attendees at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki

Background: Female Genital Mutilation is a harmful traditional practice with severe health complications, deeply rooted in many sub-Saharan African countries. Despite its high prevalence, it has remained largely uninvestigated in Abakaliki. Aim: To determine the point prevalence of female genital mutilation and to assess the influence of socio-economic factors on its practice among antenatal clinic attendees at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study on 408 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinics of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Southeast, Nigeria. WHO classification was used to confirm the presence, type or absence of female genital mutilation after vulval examination has been carried out. Analysis was done with Epi Info 7.2.5 (Atlanta Georgia). Result: The prevalence of female genital mutilation was 39.0%. Out of this, 29(18.4%) had type I mutilation, 128(80.6%) had type II mutilation, and 2(0.3%) had type II mutilation. There was no type IV mutilation. The lowest trend in female genital mutilation was found in the age of 40-49 years. The sociodemographic characteristics of circumcised women that were of statistical significance were age and educational status with p-value of <0.05. Female genital mutilation decrease could be on account of increased awareness of the impact of the procedure, though cultural beliefs accounted for most of the cases in the study. 67 (42.1%) of women who were circumcised were satisfied with the practice. Culture/tradition was the strongest reason for supporting the practice. Conclusion: The prevalence of female genital mutilation is still high in Abakaliki and most common being WHO type II. The strongest reason for the persistent practice of FGM the study was Culture/tradition. Female genital mutilation is a discriminatory act that must be eradicated through the help of communities, religious leaders and health workers; health education and legislation will go a long way to its eradication