Clitoridectomy Definition and Information

The clitoridectomy definition in Stedman's Medical Dictionary is the removal of the clitoris. There is rarely a clinical or medical indication for a clitoridectomy. The clitoridectomy procedure has been performed at various times and in various cultures for political and social reasons, rather than out of medical necessity. Since the clitoris is analogous to the penis in men, women that have a clitoridectomy lose a great deal of sensation in the genital region. A clitoridectomy also greatly decreases sexual pleasure.

There are vanishingly few reasons why a clitoridectomy would be performed. The removal of cancer would be one example, though cancers involving the clitoris proper are quite rare. Occasionally women can experience a painful, persistent swelling of the clitoris that is similar to an erection lasting more than four hours in men (called priapism). This is usually due to a medication side effect. This condition may be treated with a clitoridectomy procedure but more often would simply require draining and release of blood flow to the organ.

The other medical reason for clitoridectomy is not strictly medical, but cosmetic. A woman that has an abnormally large clitoris (a condition called clitoromegaly) may wish to have the tissue reduced. This surgery would be called clitoroplasty, however, rather than clitoridectomy.  

The clitoridectomy procedure has a historical and political/cultural importance greater that is more relevant than a place in modern medicine. In cultures that sought to control the sexuality of women, they would perform clitoridectomies in an effort to control sexual urges. In fact, clitoridectomy was considered a "treatment" for masturbation in women and girls. Sadly, this ill-conceived treatment permanently damaged the sexual health of the women that were subjected to it.

In other, misogynistic cultures, clitoridectomies are forcibly performed in an effort to maintain dominance and control of women in the population. There are reports to this day of certain societies and religious groups that perform clitoridectomy procedures. These procedures are usually done against the will of the woman and through coercion or force. These clitoridectomies are not performed in a surgical environment and rarely include anesthesia or analgesia (pain control). A clitoridectomy in this context is viewed by most of the world as a barbaric and archaic practice. Women's and human rights groups have come out in strong opposition to the practice of clitoridectomy in this way.