Female genital cutting (FGC) is a traditional harmful practice that has been outlawed in Egypt. The
objectives of this descriptive study are to investigate the prevalence and the socio-demographic determinants of FGC
among female university students and its relation to their sexual history. A total of 308 never married undergraduate
female students in a public university in Egypt were surveyed using self-administered, structured questionnaires.
Total respondents were 281 students (91.2% response rate). The prevalence of FGC is 50.9%, predominantly
performed by a physician / nurse (89.8%). Females submitted to FGC described this procedure as painful and
shocking (41.3%), ordinary (32.2%) or unremembered (26.6%). Factors associated with FGC included residence in
rural areas (P= 0.001). Lower educational level (less than university) of the mother (P= 0.000) as well as, the father
(P= 0.000). There were no statistically significant differences between females submitted to FGC versus those who
were not as regards correctly defining orgasm (21.7% versus 21% respectively, P > 0.05), ever experiencing orgasm
(26.3% versus 17.7% respectively, P > 0.05) or age of initiation of orgasm (P > 0.05). It is concluded that FGC is
prevalent among female university students in Egypt, particularly those from rural areas and with a lower parental
educational level with no differences between females submitted to FGC versus those who are not as regards sexual
history.