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Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is defined by the WHO as the partial or total removal of the external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM/C can negatively affect women’s and girls’ psychophysical health with possible infectious, urogynaecological, obstetric, sexual and psychological complications. It is a practice that is illegal in many high-prevalence and -migration countries and is considered to be a violation of human rights. Health professionals have a fundamental role in preventing the practice in future generations, providing health education, avoiding the ‘medicalization’ of FGM/C and in offering appropriate information, counselling, clinical (diagnosis, treatment and psychosexual care) and surgical care (defibulation and clitoral reconstruction) in the case of complications.
Labiaplasty is an increasingly popular surgical intervention but little is known about the characteristics and motivation of women who seek the procedure or the psychosexual outcome.
Method
A total of 55 women seeking labiaplasty were compared with 70 women who did not desire labiaplasty. Various general measures of psychopathology as well as specific measures (Genital Appearance Satisfaction; Cosmetic Procedure Screening for labiaplasty) were used. Labia measurements of the women seeking labiaplasty were also obtained.
Results
Women seeking labiaplasty did not differ from controls on measures of depression or anxiety. They did, however, express increased dissatisfaction towards the appearance of their genitalia, with lower overall sexual satisfaction and a poorer quality of life in terms of body image. Women seeking labiaplasty reported a significantly greater frequency of avoidance behaviours on all the domains assessed, and greater frequency of safety-seeking behaviours for most of the domains. Key motivations reported for labiaplasty were categorized as cosmetic, functional or sexual. Of the 55 women seeking labiaplasty, 10 met diagnostic criteria for body dysmorphic disorder.
Conclusions
This is the first controlled study to describe some of the characteristics and motivations of women seeking labiaplasty. We identified a wide range of avoidance and safety-seeking behaviours, which occurred more frequently in the labiaplasty group than the control group. These could be used clinically as part of a psychological intervention for women seeking labiaplasty.
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