Practices and complications of pubic hair removal among Saudi women

Source at: http://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-018-0661-6Background: Pubic hair grooming, including the complete removal of pubic hair, has become an increasingly common practice, particularly among young women. Although widespread, there is limited data regarding the methods, products, reasons, and complications of pubic hair removal, particularly among Saudi women. The objective was to examine pubic hair removal practices and the prevalence of its complications among Saudi women living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saudi women between 16 and 60 years of age who had the ability to read and speak Arabic, were eligible to complete an anonymous and self-administered survey on pubic hair removal practices and its complications. Results: Between December 2015 and September 2016, 400 Saudi women completed the survey. The age was 26. 3 ± 6.9, 16–58 (mean ± SD, range) years. About three quarters (77.0%) self-removed their pubic hair, while the remainder made use of professional personnel in medical clinics (15.5%), beauty salons (5.3%), and professional services at home (2.2%). Many women (41.8%) used a combination of hair removal methods, with non-electric razor as the most common single method used (33.5%), followed by laser (8.7%), sugaring (6.0%), waxing (4.5%), trimming (2.0%), electric razor (2.0%), and cream (1.5%). Three-quarters of women (75.5%) reported complications, and although they were mostly minor injuries, treatment had to be sought for 17.9% of complications. Multivariable analyses showed that no variables remained correlated with the occurrence of complications (age of starting hair removal, income, BMI, level of education, mode of removal, advice on removal). Conclusions: Saudi women initiate pubic hair removal in early adolescence. While most complications are minor, close to one in five women experience complications

Survey on female genital mutilation/cutting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Objectives The objective of this study was to determine whether female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) exists in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Participants Between December 2016 and August 2017, women attending the obstetrics and gynaecology clinics were asked to participate in a cross-sectional survey. This included questions on demographics, FGM/C status and type and attitudes towards the practice. Results In a convenience sample of 963 women aged 18 to 75 years, 175 (18.2%) had undergone FGM/C. Compared with women without FGM/C, women with FGM/C were older, married, non-Saudi and had a lower monthly income. Thirty-seven (21.1%) women had had FGM/C with some cutting of body parts (type I or II), 11 (6.3%) with suturing (type III), 46 (26.3%) with no cutting of body parts (type IV) and 81 (46.3%) did not know their type of FGM/C. There was also a significant association between nationality and age at which FGM/C was performed, with Saudi women undergoing the procedure earlier than Egyptian, Somali, Yemeni and Sudanese women. Conclusions FGM/C is prevalent in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, among immigrant women from other countries, and it is practised among Saudi women. Further research is needed to determine its prevalence. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial

Female genital self-image in women with and without female genital mutilation/cutting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Introduction - The consequences of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) on female genital self-image are not known. Aim - To assess whether women with and without FGM/C differed with regard to female genital self-image. Methods - A survey was administered to a group of women attending the King Abdulaziz University Hospital obstetrics and gynecology clinic from December 2016 to August 2017. 963 consecutive adult women seen at the clinic completed the survey. Main outcome measures - The main outcome measure of this study was female genital self-image being assessed with the female genital self-image scale (FGSIS). Results - One-fifth (18.2%) of the women self-reported having undergone FGM/C as young girls. Women with FGM/C had a similar FGSIS score as women with no FGM/C (21.3 ± 4.6, n = 175 vs 21.6 ± 4.8, n = 756, analysis of variance, P = .37). In multivariate regression analysis, only level of education remained independently associated with the FGSIS score. Women with some university education had a greater mean FGSIS score than women with no university education (22.1 ± 4.49, n = 564 vs 20.8 ± 5.03, n = 399, P Conclusions - Women with and without FGM/C in a Saudi Arabian clinic generally had a similarly positive genital self-image. Only level of education was independently associated with the FGSIS score

Labour outcomes with defibulation at delivery in immigrant Somali and Sudanese women with type III female genital mutilation/cutting

INTRODUCTION There is a scarcity of studies on labour outcomes with defibulation. This study assessed the outcomes of labour with defibulation at delivery in women with type III female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) compared to labour without defibulation. METHODS We identified and reviewed the records of all Somali and Sudanese women who delivered at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between January 2012 and December 2016. Labour outcomes of women with type III FGM/C who delivered vaginally with defibulation at delivery were compared to the outcomes of women without type III FGM/C who delivered vaginally without defibulation. Data extracted from the records included demographics, registration status, and labour outcomes. RESULTS During the study period, 1086 Somali and Sudanese women delivered at our institution, with 42% delivering by caesarean section. Among the 631 women with vaginal delivery, 27% had type III FGM/C and delivered with defibulation while 73% did not have type III FGM/C and delivered without defibulation. Demographic and clinical factors were similar between the two groups who delivered vaginally. The outcomes of labour with defibulation at delivery in women with type III FGM/C were not different from women without defibulation, except in regards to instrumental delivery and maternal blood loss. There were also no statistically significant differences between the two groups in neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Defibulation at delivery is an effective minor surgical procedure that should be in the armamentarium of the healthcare providers managing women with type III FGM/C