The Effect Of Female Genital Mutilation On Perineal Injuries Among Labouring Women In Dodoma Region: A Case-Control Study

ABSTRACT

Background: Although modern obstetrics have made child birth remarkably safe from life threatening event in the western world, there are still some challenges in the middle income countries including Tanzania. This study intended to determine the association between Female Genital Mutilation and the perineal injury among Laboring women in Dodoma.

Methods: A matched case-control study of 364 random selected laboring women was conducted in three districts and one Regional hospital. Control was matched to the cases based on maternal age ratio 1:2 making a sample of 121 cases and 243 controls. FGM and perineal injury was measured according to WHO guidelines. Direct observation was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the extent of FGM and perineal injury while in inferential statistics chi-square and logistic regression was used to determine the association of FGM and perineal injury and other variables.