Traditional female cervical cauterization and risk of preterm birth in Somalia: a single-center prospective observational study

Numerous traditional practices are both beneficial and harmful. Traditional harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation and traditional cervical cauterization, are carried out for a number of reasons but can have negative health and social effects. In addition to deeply held beliefs, a lack...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2024-09, Vol.14 (1), p.20560-9, Article 20560
Main Authors: Hussein, Ahmed Issak, Hassan, Hodan Abdi, Kurtay, Sabri, Omar, Abdikarim Ali, Hassan, Kowsar Abdullahi, Mohamed, Shamsa Hussein, Erkok, Umut
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Abortion
Adult
Cauterization
Cautery - adverse effects
Cervical
Cervix
Cervix Uteri - pathology
Cervix Uteri - surgery
Female
Females
Fetuses
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Infertility
Medical personnel
multidisciplinary
Observational studies
Poverty
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Outcome - epidemiology
Premature birth
Premature Birth - epidemiology
Preterm delivery
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Somalia - epidemiology
Tradition
Traditions
Womens health
Young Adult
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Summary:Numerous traditional practices are both beneficial and harmful. Traditional harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation and traditional cervical cauterization, are carried out for a number of reasons but can have negative health and social effects. In addition to deeply held beliefs, a lack of knowledge and awareness of the consequences of these practices contributes to the persistence of these issues. The objective of this study is to examine whether traditional cervical cauterizations were associated with preterm births in Somalia. This prospective cohort study was conducted at our hospital over a one-year period. Seven hundred and two patients were included in this study; these patients were divided into two groups, cauterized and non-cauterized groups, and the two groups were compared on pregnancy outcomes. We examined whether traditional cervical cauterizations were associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm births. According to the findings of this study, traditional cervical cauterization was prevalent among patients visiting MSTREH (n = 328, 46.7%). Infections of the uterine cervix and infertility were the two main indications for cauterization, 44.8%, and 34.8%, respectively.Being older, uneducated, and poverty were significantly associated with traditional cauterization (P 
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-71727-2