Female Genital Cutting in Immigrant Children—Considerations in Treatment and Prevention in the United States

Purpose of Review Female genital cutting (FGC) is a pediatric practice; however, the vast majority of United States (US) and international review articles and research have focused on women. Given recent immigration to the US of immigrants from countries where FGC is practiced, there are children living in the US who have FGC or are at risk of having FGC performed. Children with FGC are underdiagnosed in the US. It is imperative for medical providers who care for children to learn of FGC including medical findings, treatment, cultural beliefs, as well as the legal and ethical issues that may arise. Required, standardized training needs to be developed for all pediatric providers so that they can appropriately take care of children with FGC.