Global Practice, National Presence: Female Genital Mutilation in the United States, 2016-2022

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) encompasses medically unnecessary procedures involving the partial or total removal of external genitalia. FGM/C causes lasting physical and psychological harm. While most prevalent in parts of Africa, FGM/C has been increasingly documented in Western countries due to global migration. Despite this, national epidemiological data on FGM/C in the United States (US) are not available. We estimated inpatient FGM/C diagnoses using national hospitalization data. Between 2016 and 2022, 8,680 hospitalizations included an FGM/C diagnosis, averaging 3.16 per 10,000 pregnancy-related hospitalizations. Among the 8,680 hospitalizations identified with FGM/C, unspecified types accounted for 55.3% of admissions, followed by Type III (infibulation, 17.0%) and Type II (excision, 14.5%). Across FGM/C subtypes, rates were highest for patients aged 20-39 (90.3%) and among Black females (72.7%). FGM/C diagnoses appear in US health encounters, yet gaps in clinical recognition and documentation underscore the urgent need for improved surveillance, reporting, and culturally informed care.