Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000.
Many girls die from bleeding to death, shock, infection or tetanus.
This suggests that excision does not damage most of the clitoral nerve endings because they are beneath the vaginal surface. This would probably explain how it is that many women who had sexual experiences prior to excision, the author included, perceive either no difference or increased sexual satisfaction following their operation. In any case, most contemporary, urban-educated as well as rural Kono women are just as interested in their sexuality as are their counterparts in Western countries, and they do not perceive excision as inhibiting them in any way. It is also worth noting, especially since it is usually omitted, that significant numbers of Western women, despite having their clitorises intact, experience their own difficulties in achieving any kind of orgasm, clitoral or vaginal. Finally, with regard to the psychological well-being of young girls and women who have undergone initiation and excision, more research is needed before any credible generalizations can be made.