Slide show: Circumcision of the vulva – female genital mutilation
Bildspel: Omskärelse av snippan - könsstympning - engelska
Circumcision of the vulva (the external female sex organs) is also known as female genital mutilation. This means that someone has cut away or damaged part of the vulva. Help is available if you have been subjected to female genital mutilation and it’s affecting how you feel physically or emotionally. Note: graphic images!
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What can it look like?
Female genital mutilation can be done in different ways. Sometimes, the outer parts of the vulva have been damaged, or some part of them has been cut away. Sometimes, you can hardly see that anything has been cut. Here are some examples of what it could look like:
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This is what a vulva looks like that hasn't been cut out.
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In this image, the top of the clitoris and the skin around it have been cut away.
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In this image, the top of the clitoris and the skin around it have been cut away. The inner labia (the lips surrounding the vagina) have also been cut away.
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In this image, the top of the clitoris and the labia have been cut away. The opening of the vagina has been sewn together. A small opening has been left to allow pee and menstrual blood to come out.
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You can still enjoy sex
No matter what your vagina and vulva look like, you can still feel lust and enjoy sex, both by yourself and with others.
The main part of your clitoris is inside your body, so you still have a clitoris even if the top has been cut away. The entire clitoris is very sensitive when it comes to sex.
There are also many other parts of your body that feel good when touched.
You can still have an orgasm even if you’ve been circumcised.
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The circumcision may cause you problems
Some circumcised girls and women do not have any problems at all. Here are some of the possible problems you could experience if you are circumcised:
You may have trouble peeing. It might take a long time or hurt. You could get urinary tract infections often.
You may experience problems with your period. It may be painful or it may be hard for the menstrual blood to flow out.
It can feel tight or hurt when you have sexual intercourse. It can hurt so much that it´s not possible to have sexual intercourse.
Your vulva and other parts of your vagina might hurt. You could have scars and lumps that hurt.
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Help is available
You can go to a youth guidance centre (ungdomsmottagning) or a health clinic (vårdcentral) if you’re having problems because of a circumcision. If you’re still in school, you can talk to your school nurse. The Södersjukhuset hospital in Stockholm has a special clinic, called the AMEL clinic (AMEL-mottagningen), and the Angered Hospital in Gothenburg has a special clinic, called Vulvamottagningen. These clinics help girls and women who have problems due to female genital mutilation. You are welcome to visit these clinics no matter where you live in Sweden. Help that is available:
A midwife (a nurse specially trained in the female reproductive system) or doctor can check whether you’ve been circumcised. You might not be completely sure whether you’ve been circumcised.
If some part of your vagina has been sewn together, an operation can be performed to open it up again. This is sometimes necessary if you want to have sex or have a baby.
You can get help to remove lumps on your clitoris if they are causing you pain.
You can talk to someone if you are not doing well emotionally, for example because you are plagued by memories of being circumcised.
It is illegal to perform female genital mutilation
It's completely up to you whether you want to tell anyone that you have been circumcised. It's also up to you whether you want to show anyone what it looks like. It’s not a crime to be circumcised.
However, it is illegal to perform female genital mutilation (female circumcision) on someone else. Anyone who plans this type of circumcision, asks someone else to perform it, or performs it themselves is breaking the law. This is true even if you travel to a different country to have the circumcision performed there.
Are you worried that someone will be subjected to female genital mutilation? Contact Social Services or the police. You can talk to your school nurse, or any other adult you trust.
Here you can read about the different parts of the vulva and vagina, and learn more about how your vulva and vagina work. The vulva and vagina are great parts of your body that can urinate, have periods, have sex, give birth to children and give enjoyment.
You can visit a Youth Guidance Centre if you have questions about your body, sex or birth control. You can also visit the clinic if you are feeling anxious or depressed and need someone to talk to.
