The ritual cutting of parts of a girl’s genitalia. A traditional practice in parts of Africa and Asia, female genital mutilation (FGM) marks a girl’s achievement of womanhood. Two types of ritual cutting involve clitoridectomy, or removal of the clitoris. The immediate and long-term health consequences of this mutilation include excessive bleeding and shock at the time of circumcision, and the formation of abscesses, keloids (see keloid), cysts, and scar tissue. Women who have undergone FGM often experience psychological trauma, recurrent urinary tract infections, dysmenorrhea (painful periods), chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, and painful sexual intercourse. The American Medical Association and the World Health Organization have condemned FGM as a form of child abuse and called on physicians not to perform the ritual.