Medical ‘othering’: qualitative evidence synthesis of health services experiences among women affected by female genital mutilation/cutting in Europe

Migration from countries with high female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) prevalence to Europe has increased attention to health services needs and support for affected women. We explored literature on this foregrounding affected women’s voices, including 37 sources of 11,662 identified. Our findings are synthesised in three themes: medical ‘othering,’ challenged communication, and migration implications. Migrant women affected by FGM/C often struggled navigating health systems that were inflexible to their needs, with health providers often highlighting cultural differences instead of focusing on their health needs in potentially traumatic ways. Women also described feeling torn between conflicting FGM/C cultural norms, their health, and care practices in Europe.