Childhood vaginal bleeding due to a missed foreign body in the vagina following female genital mutilation

Foreign bodies within the vagina have been reported to constitute 3.6% of all causes of childhood vaginal bleeding. This paper describes the case of a 9-year-old girl who had been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) that was followed by prolonged vaginal bleeding as a consequence of gauze that had been missed inside her vagina at the procedure and was not removed. This case represents a rare complication of FGM and raises medico-legal implications for both the practitioner who performed the FGM and the girl’s parents. Under the criminalization law on FGM issued by the Egyptian Government in 2007 parents are not included. The authors believe that some parental responsibility and inclusion under this law might help to combat FGM. Copyright © 2012 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.