{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T21:50:01Z","timestamp":1788558601301,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,6]],"date-time":"2022-01-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1641427200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/journals\/pages\/open_access\/funder_policies\/chorus\/standard_publication_model"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,6]],"date-time":"2022-01-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1641427200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.elsevier.com\/tdm\/userlicense\/1.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["jsm.jsexmed.org","elsevier.com","sciencedirect.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Vulvar and in particular clitoral pain can affect women with Female Genital Mutilation\/Cutting (FGM\/C). To date, there is no comprehensive study on the different available treatments for vulvar pain after FGM\/C.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title><jats:p>To study the outcome of surgical treatments of vulvar and\/or clitoral pain among women living with FGM\/C.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Retrospective review of the consecutive medical files of all 506 women who consulted at a specialized outpatient clinic for women with FGM\/C between April 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Outcome<\/jats:title><jats:p>Subjective change in chronic vulvar pain after surgical treatment.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>In total, 36.1% of women (n = 183) experienced chronic pain, all types included, among which 2.8% (n = 14) experienced provoked or unprovoked chronic vulvar pain. Among the 14 women with provoked or unprovoked chronic vulvar pain, ten (71.4%) underwent surgical treatment: 7 underwent resection of vulvar scar complications (cysts, bridles, adhesions) with (n = 4) or without (n = 3) concomitant defibulation, 3 had clitoral reconstruction and one had labium reconstruction with removal of peri-clitoral adhesion. Nine out of ten (90%) experienced resolution of pain after surgery and the remaining woman (10%) was lost to follow-up.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Clinical Implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>Safe and effective surgical treatments exist and patients with chronic vulvar pain post-FGM\/C should be referred to specialists who would consider appropriate indications for surgery and support informed decision-making and treatment.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Strengths &amp; Limitations<\/jats:title><jats:p>The strengths of this research are the big sample size of women from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, as well as the availability of pre- and postsurgery iconographic material and histology. Limitations include a subjective reporting of pain without validated questionnaires.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Effective surgical treatments for provoked or unprovoked chronic vulvar pain post-FGM\/C are clitoral reconstruction, defibulation, cystectomy, and bridle removal. Surgical treatments should be combined with a culturally sensitive multidisciplinary care and follow-up.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsxm.2021.11.010","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,6]],"date-time":"2022-01-06T23:16:32Z","timestamp":1641510992000},"page":"290-301","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/elsevier_cm_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Surgical Treatments of Chronic Vulvar Pain After Female Genital Mutilation\/Cutting"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Yara","family":"Bazzoun","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva , Geneva , Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leen","family":"Aerts","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Gynaecology, Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals , Geneva , Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jasmine","family":"Abdulcadir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Gynaecology, Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals , Geneva , Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"2023041407170610800_","volume-title":"Female genital mutilation - fact sheet","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2020"},{"key":"2023041407170610800_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1003088","article-title":"Painful gynecologic and obstetric complications of female genital mutilation\/cutting: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"17","author":"Lurie","year":"2020","journal-title":"PLOS Med"},{"key":"2023041407170610800_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1097\/LGT.0000000000000190","article-title":"2015 ISSVD, ISSWSH, and IPPS consensus terminology and classification of persistent vulvar pain and vulvodynia","volume":"20","author":"Bornstein","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Low Genit Tract Dis"},{"issue":"Suppl 1","key":"2023041407170610800_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"34","DOI":"10.1002\/ijgo.12048","article-title":"Surgical and nonsurgical interventions for vulvar and clitoral pain in girls and women living with female genital mutilation: A systematic review","volume":"136","author":"Ezebialu","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int J Gynaecol Obstet Off Organ Int Fed Gynaecol Obstet"},{"key":"2023041407170610800_","first-page":"2475","article-title":"Surgical management of female genital mutilation-related morbidity: A scoping review","author":"Chappell","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Plast Reconstr Aesthetic Surg JPRAS"},{"key":"2023041407170610800_","article-title":"Chronic vulvar pain after female genital mutilation\/cutting: A retrospective study","volume":"9","author":"Bazzoun","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sex Med"},{"key":"2023041407170610800_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1144","DOI":"10.1097\/j.pain.0000000000002121","article-title":"Are you in pain if you say you are not? 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