Immediate complications include:

Agonizing pain due to lack of anesthesia;

Hemorrhage: Amputation of the clitoris involves cutting across the clitoral artery, which has a strong flow and high pressure. Cutting across the internal pudendal artery can cause serious bleeding. Hemorrhage may also occur after the first week as a result of sloughing of the clot over the artery, usually because of infection. If bleeding is very severe and uncontrolled, it can result in death;

Shock because of the sudden blood loss and/or the unexpected and agonizing pain;

Tetanus can occur due to the use of not sterilized equipment and lack of tetanus toxoïd injection;

Trauma to the adjacent structures (urethra, bladder, anal sphincter, vaginal walls and Bartholin's gland);

Acute urinary retention occurs nearly always because of 1) the pain and burning sensation of urine on the raw wound; 2) damage to the urethra and its surrounding tissue; 3) labial adhesion or nearly complete closure of the vaginal orifice, as in infibulation;

Wound infection and urinary infection due to urine retention, the use of non-sterilized equipment and the application of local dressings of animal feces and ashes. The infecting organisms may ascend through the short urethra into the bladder, and the kidneys;

Fever and septicemia;

Group circumcisions using unclean cutting instruments are common, and can spread HIV infection;

Fractures of the clavicle, femur, or humerus due to strong pressure applied to the struggling girl;

Eventually death can occur due to hemorrhagic or septic shock, tetanus and lack of availability of medical services or delay in seeking help.