Emotional Health Work of Women With Female Genital Cutting Prior to Reproductive Health Care Encounters

We used institutional ethnography to explore the social relations that shaped the reproductive health care experiences of women with female genital cutting. Interviews with eight women revealed that they engaged in discourse that opposed the practices of cutting female genitals as a human-rights violation. This discourse worked to protect those affected by the practices, but also stigmatized female genital cutting, making participants anticipate experiencing stigmatization during health care. Womens engagement in this discourse shaped their emotional health work to prepare for such encounters. This work included navigating feelings of worry, shame, and courage to understand what to expect during their own appointment; learning from family/friends experiences; and seeking a clinic with the reputation of best care for women with female genital cutting. It is important to strive for more inclusive health care in which women do not have to engage in emotional health work to prepare for their clinical encounters. Funding Agencies|Ontario Graduate ScholarshipOntario Graduate Scholarship; Carol Mitchell and Richard Venn Fellowship in Womens Health; Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Health; Jacqueline Ford Gender and Health Fund; Wilfred and Joyce Posluns Chair in Womens Brain Health and Aging; Posluns Family Foundation; Womens Brain Health Initiative; Canadian Institutes of Health ResearchCanadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); Alzheimers Society of Canada; Ontario Brain Institute