Quality of services offered to women with female genital mutilation across health facilities in a Kenyan County.

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) curtails women's health, human rights and development. Health system as a critical pillar for social justice is key in addressing FGM while executing the core mandate of disease prevention and management. By leveraging opportune moments, events and experiences involving client-provider interactions, relevant FGM-related communications, behavior change and management interventions can be implemented through health facilities or in communities.

Female genital mutilation/cutting: Emerging factors sustaining medicalization related changes in selected Kenyan communities.

Although female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has declined, it is pervasive albeit changing form among communities in Kenya. Transformation of FGM/C include medicalization although poorly understood has increased undermining abandonment efforts for the practice. We sought to understand drivers of medicalization in FGM/C among selected Kenyan communities.

Exploring barriers to seeking health care among Kenyan Somali women with female genital mutilation: a qualitative study.

Background: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a cultural practice associated with health consequences, women rights and deprivation of dignity. Despite FGM/C-related health consequences, circumcised women may encounter additional challenges while seeking interventions for reproductive health problems. Experiences of women/girls while accessing health services for reproductive health problems including FGM/C-related complications in poor, remote and hard to reach areas is poorly understood.

Preventing unsafe abortion: Achievements and challenges of a global FIGO initiative.

FIGO established a Working Group on the Prevention of Unsafe Abortion in 2007 and a parallel program or "Initiative" with the same name. The initiative involved 46 FIGO member societies from seven regions: South-Southeast Asia, Eastern-Central Europe and Central Asia, North Africa and Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern-Central-Southern Africa, Western-Central Africa, Central America and Caribbean, and South America. Each society working in collaboration with the corresponding Ministry of Health and other agencies conducted a situational analysis and prepared a plan of action based on the findings.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Innovative Training Approach for Nurse-Midwives in High Prevalent Settings.

Background: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has no medical benefits and is associated with serious health complications. FGM/C including medicalization is illegal in Kenya. Capacity building for nurse-midwives to manage and prevent FGM/C is therefore critical.

The 'heat' goes away: sexual disorders of married women with female genital mutilation/cutting in Kenya.

Background: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has been implicated in sexual complications among women, although there is paucity of research evidence on sexual experiences among married women who have undergone this cultural practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the sexual experiences among married women in Mauche Ward, Nakuru County.

Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were used.

Female genital mutilation/cutting--towards abandonment of a harmful cultural practice.

Globally, the prevalence of, and support for, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is declining. However, the entrenched sense of social obligation that propagates the continuation of this practice and the lack of open communication between men and women on this sensitive issue are two important barriers to abandonment. There is limited evidence on the role of men and their experiences in FGM/C.

Contribution of obstetrics and gynecology societies in East, Central, and Southern Africa to the prevention of unsafe abortion in the region.

Maternal mortality and morbidity rates are very high in Africa. A large proportion of these deaths is attributed to unsafe abortion. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, in collaboration with its member societies in each participating country, their respective Ministries of Health, and various non-governmental agencies, has developed an initiative to prevent unsafe abortion and the morbidity and mortality attributed to it.