Finland has started tallying births by circumcised mothers as the medical community is increasingly dealing with delivery complications caused by female genital mutilation, FGM.

Päivi Polo, who heads the women’s clinic at Turku University Hospital, told Yle she sees 1-2 circumcised patients every week, a practice where some or all of a woman’s or girl’s external genital organs are cut or damaged for cultural beliefs. Female genital mutilation is most prevalent on the African continent, particularly in Egypt.

”We had 50 circumcised women giving birth in Turku last year, and we have to be able to serve circumcised women in the best way possible,” Polo told Yle.

FGM can cause serious medical complications, from urinary problems to severe infections and extremely painful, or obstructed deliveries, according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

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