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The immediate risks after the procedure are hemorrhage (excessive bleeding), severe pain, and infection (including abscesses, tetanus, and gangrene). The most severe consequence is death due to excessive blood loss. Long term complications include scarring, interference with the drainage of urine and menstrual blood, chronic urinary tract infections, pelvic and back pain, and infertility. Sexual intercourse can be painful. Complications of childbirth are also a risk. It is unclear whether it is related to the procedure itself, or related to the general condition of medical practice, but infant and maternal death rates are generally higher in those communities where female circumcision is practiced.
— Altha Roberts Edgren
