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ISGH Faculty Research Presentation: Our Body, Our Health presents: Uplifting Minnesota Somali Women’s Voices about Deinfibulation: Views, Experiences, and Recommendations

Minnesota is home to almost 83,000 individuals with Somali identities. Thus, it is critical for Minnesota healthcare workers to understand unique healthcare needs of Somali community members. The majority of Somali women who have migrated from abroad experienced Type III female genital cutting (FGC), which involves narrowing of the vaginal introitus with the creation of an external vulvar covering using the apposition of either the labia minora or labia majora with or without excision of the external clitoral glans. Deinfibulation opens the introitus and is an intervention used to allow vaginal birth, reduce sexual pain, improve urinary function, and remove blockages to menstrual blood flow.

During this presentation we will present the personal views about deinfibulation from a group of 75 adult Somali women who experienced FGC and are now living in Minnesota. Themes include views on timing of deinfibulation, decision making, benefits, and barriers. We will also discuss implications for healthcare workers, including nurses, physicians, and therapists.

The Our Body, Our Health research team, headed by ISGH faculty Drs. Jennifer Connor and Bean Robinson, is composed of faculty from the University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, and Boston University, and University of Minnesota research staff and SoLaHmo community based researchers. Collectively, they represent the fields of sex research, psychology, marriage and family therapy, family social science, sociology, public health, nursing, family medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, and social work. Today's presentation is using data from the qualitative aim of the study. The following team members participated in the analysis and interpretation of this data and provided feedback on this presentation: Jennifer Connor, PhD, LMFT; Kalthum Abdikeir, MPH; Cawo Abdi, PhD; Muzi Chen, PhD; Intisar Hussein, MSW, LICSW; Shannon Pergament, MPH, MSW; Munira Salad, BS; and Bean Robinson, PhD, LP, LMFT.

Mar 7, 2023 12:00 PM in Central Time (US and Canada)