ABSTRACT
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is increasingly more widely evident in western countries due to immigration and population movement. Health services are being confronted with the need to provide care for women with FGM/C. One of the more recent trends is the provision of clitoral reconstruction. It remains unclear, however, what constitutes good practice with regard to this type of surgery. We briefly discuss the possible consequences of FGM/C and the findings from recent publications on clitoral reconstruction. Recognizing individual differences in women, we suggest a multidisciplinary counselling model as practiced in Belgium to provide appropriate care for women requesting clitoral reconstruction. A multidisciplinary approach enables a more satisfactory and individually tailored approach to care. The multidisciplinary team should consist of a midwife, a gynaecological surgeon, a psychologist/psychotherapist, a sexologist and a social worker. Comprehensive health counselling should be the common thread in this model of care. Our proposed care pathway starts with taking a thorough patient history, followed by medical, psychological and sexological consultations.
