{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,9]],"date-time":"2026-06-09T03:57:39Z","timestamp":1780977459156,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,11]],"date-time":"2026-03-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773187200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,11]],"date-time":"2026-03-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773187200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100011880","name":"Acad\u00e9mie de recherche et d'enseignement sup\u00e9rieur","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100011880","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Tropical Med Int Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In 1999, the prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) was 5% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This study aims to assess FGM prevalence and types, describe its demographic and sociocultural characteristics, and evaluate its long\u2010term impact on pelvic floor and sexual function.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A cross\u2010sectional study was conducted from 2021 to 2023 among 519 adult women living in six provinces of the DRC, selected to represent the country's ethnolinguistic diversity. Pregnant women, those within 6 months of childbirth, survivors of sexual violence, and those with war mutilations were excluded. A questionnaire was designed to collect data, supplemented by a vulvar assessment. The variables were compared using appropriate statistical tests (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.05).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The prevalence of FGM was 15.2% (95% CI: 12.2%\u201318.6%). The prevalence of FGM Types I\u2010II and inner labia elongation (ILE) was 1.7% (95% CI: 0.8%\u20133.3%) and 13.5% (95% CI: 10.7%\u201316.7%), respectively. ILE was on average performed at the age of 13.8\u2009years, mainly by women themselves (88.6%), while the circumstances of FGM I\u2010II practice were unknown. ILE was practiced among the Swahili (65.7%) and the Baluba (27.1%), while FGM I\u2010II were practiced among the Bangala (100%). Women with ILE were at higher risk of urinary incontinence (OR: 2.02; 95% CI: 1.17\u20133.45), dyspareunia (OR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.08\u20133.99), and sexual satisfaction disorders (OR: 2.75; 95% CI: 1.34\u20135.52) than women without FGM.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>FGM is practiced in specific ethnic groups in the DRC, with ILE secondarily leading to long\u2010term effects on pelvic floor and sexual function.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/tmi.70114","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,12]],"date-time":"2026-03-12T03:04:39Z","timestamp":1773284679000},"page":"724-733","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Female Genital Mutilation in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Prevalence, Types, Sociodemographic and Cultural Characteristics, and Long\u2010Term Pelvic Floor Outcomes"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0608-9424","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andy\u2010Muller","family":"Nzinga","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Functional Anatomy \u2010 Faculty of Motor Sciences Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)  Brussels Belgium"},{"name":"Unit of Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation University Clinics of Kinshasa \u2010 Faculty of Medicine \u2010 University of Kinshasa  Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tara","family":"Reman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Functional Anatomy \u2010 Faculty of Motor Sciences Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)  Brussels Belgium"},{"name":"HESAV School of Health Sciences \u2010 Vaud, HES\u2010SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland  Lausanne Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Denis","family":"Mukwege","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Panzi General Referral Hospital, Evangelical University in Africa  Bukavu Democratic Republic of Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jasmine","family":"Abdulcadir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine University of Geneva  Geneva Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Raha","family":"Maroyi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Panzi General Referral Hospital, Evangelical University in Africa  Bukavu Democratic Republic of Congo"},{"name":"Departement of Gynecology Universit\u00e9 de li\u00e8ge  Li\u00e8ge Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"V\u00e9ronique","family":"Feipel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Functional Anatomy \u2010 Faculty of Motor Sciences Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)  Brussels Belgium"},{"name":"Laboratory of Anatomy, Biomechanics and Organogenesis \u2010 Faculty of Medicine Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles  Brussels Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jeanne","family":"Bertuit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"HESAV School of Health Sciences \u2010 Vaud, HES\u2010SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland  Lausanne Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (WHO) \u201cFemale Genital Mutilation\u201d(2020) 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