Editing Hymen

{{short description|Membrane that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening}}
{{about|the vaginal membrane|4=other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name    = Hymen 
| Latin   = hymen
| Greek  = ὑμήν
| Width   = 
| Image  = Hymen en.svg
| Caption = Various hymen defects (the shaded areas represent the vaginal opening)
| Image2   = Haultain_and_Ferguson_-_external_female_genital_organs.svg
| Caption2 = External genitals of a human female 
| Precursor= 
| System  = 
}}
The '''hymen''' is a thin piece of [[mucosal tissue]] that surrounds or partially covers the [[vaginal introitus]]. A small percentage are born with hymens that are [[Imperforate hymen|imperforate]] and completely obstruct the vaginal canal. It forms part of the [[vulva]] and is similar in structure to the vagina.<ref name=emans /><ref name="Perlman">{{Cite book|last1=Perlman|first1=Sally E.|last2=Nakajyma | first2=Steven T.| last3=Hertweck| first3=S. Paige |title=Clinical protocols in pediatric and adolescent gynecology|year=2004|publisher=Parthenon |page=131 |isbn=978-1-84214-199-1 }}</ref> The word is from the Greek ''ὑμήν'' meaning a thin skin or membrane.<ref name=OED>{{Cite web|url =https://www.oed.com/dictionary/hymen_n2?tab=etymology#1012814|title = hymen, noun|date = December 2024|access-date = 5 April 2025|website = Oxford English Dictionary Online|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In children, a common appearance of the hymen is [[crescent]]-shaped, although many shapes are possible. Each shape in the [[Hymen#Anatomic variations|natural range]] has a Latinate name. During [[puberty]], [[estrogen]] causes the hymen to change in appearance and become very elastic.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Normal variations of the post-pubertal hymen range from thin and stretchy to thick and somewhat rigid.<ref name="emans" /> Very rarely, it may be completely absent.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=3 June 2019 |title=The little tissue that couldn't – dispelling myths about the Hymen's role in determining sexual history and assault - Fact 1A |pmc=6547601 |language=en|last1=Mishori |first1=R. |last2=Ferdowsian |first2=H. |last3=Naimer |first3=K. |last4=Volpellier |first4=M. |last5=McHale |first5=T. |journal=Reproductive Health |volume=16 |issue=1 |page=74 |doi=10.1186/s12978-019-0731-8 |pmid=31159818 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The hymen can rip or tear during first [[sexual intercourse|penetrative intercourse]], which usually results in pain and, sometimes, mild temporary bleeding or spotting. Minor injuries to the hymen may heal on their own, and not require surgical intervention.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hegazy |first1=Abdelmonem |last2=Al-Rukban |first2=Mohammed |date=2012-01-01 |title=Hymen: Facts and conceptions |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260578888 |journal=The Health |language=en |volume=3 |issue=4 |issn=2219-8083 |quote=Possible explanations for the lack of genital trauma include... acute injuries occur but heal completely.}}</ref> Historically, it was believed that first penetration was necessarily traumatic, but now sources differ on how common tearing or bleeding are as a result of first intercourse.<ref name="ucsb sexinfo">{{cite web |title=The Hymen |url=https://sexinfoonline.com/the-hymen/ |access-date=2020-09-19 |website=sex info online |publisher= |quote=While some females bleed the first time they have penetrative intercourse, not every female does. This depends on many factors, such as how much hymenal tissue a female has, whether her hymen has already been stretched or torn, or how thick and elastic it is.}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Rogers |first1=Deborah J|last2=Stark |first2=Margaret |date=1998-08-08 |title=The hymen is not necessarily torn after sexual intercourse |journal=BMJ: British Medical Journal |volume=317 |issue=7155 |page=414 |issn=0959-8138 |pmc=1113684 |pmid=9694770 |doi=10.1136/bmj.317.7155.414}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Emma Curtis, Camille San Lazaro |date=1999-02-27 |title=Appearance of the hymen in adolescents is not well documented |journal=BMJ: British Medical Journal |language=en |volume=318 |issue=7183 |page=605 |quote=We agree with Rogers and Stark that so called rupture and bleeding of the hymen is not to be routinely expected after first sexual intercourse. |pmc=1115047 |pmid=10037658 |doi=10.1136/bmj.318.7183.605}}</ref> Therefore, the state of the hymen is not a reliable indicator of [[virginity]],<ref name="Perlman"/><ref name="Knight"/> though "[[virginity test]]ing" remains a common practice in some cultures, sometimes accompanied by [[Hymenorrhaphy|hymen reconstruction surgery]] to give the appearance of virginity.

==Development and histology==
The [[development of the reproductive system|genital tract develops]] during [[embryogenesis]], from the third week of [[gestation]] to the [[second trimester]], and the hymen is formed following the [[vagina]]. At week seven, the [[urorectal septum]] forms and separates the [[rectum]] from the [[urogenital sinus]]. At week nine, the [[Müllerian duct]]s move downwards to reach the urogenital sinus, forming the uterovaginal canal and inserting into the urogenital sinus. At week twelve, the Müllerian ducts fuse to create a primitive uterovaginal canal called unaleria. At month five, the vaginal canalization is complete and the fetal hymen is formed from the proliferation of the sinovaginal bulbs (where Müllerian ducts meet the urogenital sinus), and normally becomes perforate before or shortly after birth.<ref name="healey">{{cite book |last=Healey |first=Andrew |editor-last1=Mann |editor-first1=Gurdeep S. |editor-last2=Blair |editor-first2=Joanne C. |editor-last3=Garden |editor-first3=Anne S. |title=Imaging of Gynecological Disorders in Infants and Children |publisher=Springer |date=2012 |pages=21–30 |chapter=Embryology of the female reproductive tract |isbn=978-3-540-85602-3 |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-85602-3|series=Medical Radiology }}</ref>

The hymen has dense innervation. In newborn babies, still under the influence of the mother's [[hormones]], the hymen is thick, pale pink, and redundant (folds in on itself and may protrude). For the first two to four years of life, the infant produces hormones that continue this effect.<ref name="McCann">McCann, J; Rosas, A. and Boos, S. (2003) "Child and adolescent sexual assaults (childhood sexual abuse)" in Payne-James, Jason; Busuttil, Anthony and Smock, William (eds). Forensic Medicine: Clinical and Pathological Aspects, Greenwich Medical Media: London, a)p.453, b)p.455 c)p.460. {{isbn|978-1-84-110026-5}}</ref> Their hymenal opening tends to be annular (circumferential).<ref name=heger>{{Cite book | last1=Heger | first1=Astrid | author-link = Astrid Heppenstall Heger | last2=Emans | first2=S. Jean | last3=Muram | first3=David |title=Evaluation of the Sexually Abused Child: A Medical Textbook and Photographic Atlas |edition=Second |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=116 |isbn=978-0-19-507425-3 }}</ref>

Post [[neonatal]] stage, the diameter of the hymenal opening (measured within the '''hymenal ring''') widens by approximately 1&nbsp;mm for each year of age.<ref>{{Cite CiteSeerX |last=Pugno |first=Perry |title=Genital Findings in Prepubertal Girls Evaluated for Sexual Abuse |date=1999|citeseerx=10.1.1.522.1894 }}</ref> During [[puberty]], [[estrogen]] causes the hymen to become very elastic and [[wikt:fimbriate|fimbriate]]d.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Lahoti|first1=Sheela L.|last2=McClain|first2=Natalie|last3=Girardet|first3=Rebecca|last4=McNeese|first4=Margaret|last5=Cheung|first5=Kim|date=2001-03-01|title=Evaluating the Child for Sexual Abuse|url=http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0301/p883.html|journal=American Family Physician|language=en|volume=63|issue=5|pages=883–92|pmid=11261865|issn=0002-838X}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://the-eye.eu/public/Books/Medical/texts/Evaluation%20of%20the%20Sexually%20Abused%20Child%202nd%20ed%20-%20A.%20Heger%2C%20et%20al.%2C%20%28Oxford%2C%202000%29%20WW.pdf|title=Evaluation of the Sexually Abused Child: A Medical Textbook and Photographic Atlas|date=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-507425-3|editor-last=Heger|editor-first=Astrid H.|edition=2nd|location=New York|page=122|language=en|editor-last2=Emans|editor-first2=S. Jean|access-date=July 8, 2018|archive-date=July 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708104703/https://the-eye.eu/public/Books/Medical/texts/Evaluation%20of%20the%20Sexually%20Abused%20Child%202nd%20ed%20-%20A.%20Heger,%20et%20al.,%20(Oxford,%202000)%20WW.pdf}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Carunculae myrtiformes.png|Arrows point to carunculae myrtiformes ("remnants") of the hymen in a post-pubertal individual.
</gallery>

The hymen can stretch or tear as a result of various behaviors, by the use of [[tampon]]s<ref name="ucsb sexinfo"/> or [[menstrual cup]]s, [[pelvic examination]]s with a [[Speculum (medical)|speculum]], or sexual intercourse.<ref name="emans" /> Remnants of the hymen are called carunculae myrtiformes.<ref name="Knight">{{cite book|last=Knight|first=Bernard|title=Simpson's Forensic Medicine|edition=11th|year=1997|publisher=Arnold|location=London|page=114|isbn=978-0-7131-4452-9}}</ref>

A glass or plastic rod of 6&nbsp;mm diameter having a globe on one end with varying diameter from 10 to 25&nbsp;mm, called a Glaister Keen rod, is used for close examination of the hymen or the degree of its rupture. In [[forensic medicine]], it is recommended by health authorities that a physician who must swab near this area of a [[prepubescent]] girl avoid the hymen and swab the outer [[vulval vestibule]] instead.<ref name=McCann/> In cases of suspected [[rape]] or [[child sexual abuse]], a detailed examination of the hymen may be performed, but the condition of the hymen alone is often inconclusive.<ref name="Perlman"/>

==Anatomic variations==

Normal variations of the hymen range from thin and stretchy to thick and somewhat rigid.<ref name=emans>{{Cite book|url=https://the-eye.eu/public/Books/Medical/texts/Evaluation%20of%20the%20Sexually%20Abused%20Child%202nd%20ed%20-%20A.%20Heger%2C%20et%20al.%2C%20%28Oxford%2C%202000%29%20WW.pdf|title=Evaluation of the Sexually Abused Child: A Medical Textbook and Photographic Atlas|date=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-507425-3|editor-last=Heger|editor-first=Astrid H.|edition=2nd|location=New York|pages=61–65|language=en|editor-last2=Emans|editor-first2=S. Jean|access-date=July 8, 2018|archive-date=July 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708104703/https://the-eye.eu/public/Books/Medical/texts/Evaluation%20of%20the%20Sexually%20Abused%20Child%202nd%20ed%20-%20A.%20Heger,%20et%20al.,%20(Oxford,%202000)%20WW.pdf}}</ref><ref name="McCann"/>  An [[imperforate hymen]] occurs in 1-2 out of 1,000 infants.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7Z-lD9cXBEC&q=vaginal+labial+fusion&pg=PA139|title=Blueprints Obstetrics and Gynecology|last1=Callahan|first1=Tamara L.|last2=Caughey|first2=Aaron B.|date=2009|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|isbn=978-0-7817-8249-4|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lardenoije|first1=Céline|last2=Aardenburg|first2=Robert|last3=Mertens|first3=Helen|date=2009-05-26|title=Imperforate hymen: a cause of abdominal pain in female adolescents|journal=BMJ Case Reports|volume=2009|pages=bcr0820080722|doi=10.1136/bcr.08.2008.0722|issn=1757-790X|pmc=3029536|pmid=21686660}}</ref> The only variation that may require medical intervention is the imperforate hymen, which either completely prevents the normal passage of menstrual fluid or slows it significantly. In either case, surgical intervention may be needed to allow menstrual fluid to pass or intercourse to take place at all.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Imperforate hymen |year=2021 |publisher=[[United States National Library of Medicine]] |website=medlineplus.gov |url=https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000708.htm}}</ref>

Prepubescent hymenal openings come in many shapes, depending on hormonal and activity level, the most common being crescentic (posterior rim): no tissue at the 12 [[Clock position|o'clock position]]; crescent-shaped band of tissue from 1–2 to 10–11 o'clock, at its widest around 6 o'clock. From puberty onwards, depending on [[estrogen]] and activity levels, the hymenal tissue may be thicker, and the opening is often fimbriated or erratically shaped.<ref name=heger/> In younger children, a torn hymen will typically heal very quickly. In adolescents, the hymenal opening can naturally extend and variation in shape and appearance increases.<ref name=emans/>

Variations of the female reproductive tract can result from [[Müllerian agenesis|agenesis]] or hypoplasia, canalization defects, lateral fusion and failure of resorption, resulting in various complications.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Congenital Anomalies of the Hymen |publisher=[[Brigham and Women's Hospital]] |website=brighamandwomens.org |url=https://www.brighamandwomens.org/obgyn/infertility-reproductive-surgery/congenital-anomalies/hymen-anomalies}}</ref>
* [[Imperforate hymen|Imperforate]]: hymenal opening nonexistent; will require minor surgery if it has not corrected itself by puberty to allow menstrual fluids to escape.<ref>{{Cite web|title= Imperforate Hymen|publisher=[[Mount Sinai Hospital (Brooklyn)]] |website=mountsinai.org |url=https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/special-topic/imperforate-hymen}}</ref>
* Cribriform, or microperforate: sometimes confused for imperforate, the hymenal opening appears to be nonexistent, but has, under close examination, small perforations.<ref>{{Cite web|title= Cribriform Hymen|publisher=[[Texas Children's Hospital]] |website=texaschildrens.org |url=https://www.texaschildrens.org/health/cribriform-hymen}}</ref>
* Septate: the hymenal opening has one or more bands of tissue extending across the opening.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Septate Hymen |publisher=[[Boston Children's Hospital]] |website=childrenshospital.org |url=https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/s/septate-hymen}}</ref>
* [[Tight hymenal ring]]: the hymen is rigid and the introitus tight. <ref name="Berek2007">{{cite book|editor=Jonathan S. Berek|others=Emil Novak|title=Berek & Novak's Gynecology|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3erI0J8tEQC&pg=PA459|volume=2007|issue=935|year=2007|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|isbn=978-0-7817-6805-4|page=459|chapter=Benign Diseases of the Female Reproductive Tract}}</ref>

== Trauma ==
[[File:Hymen05.jpg|thumb|A hymen with a hymenal cleft visible on the left. ]]

Historically, it was believed that first sexual intercourse was necessarily traumatic to the hymen and always resulted in the hymen being "broken" or torn, causing bleeding. However, research on women in Western populations has found that bleeding during first intercourse does not invariably occur.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.tijdschriftvoorseksuologie.nl/media/k2/attachments/loeberZtvsZ32-3.pdf|title=Over het zwaard en de schede; bloedverlies en pijn bij de eerste coïtus Een onderzoek bij vrouwen uit diverse culturen|last=Loeber|first=Olga|date=2008|work=Tijdschrift voor Seksuologie|access-date=2018-09-07|volume=32|pages=129–137|language=nl-nl|archive-date=November 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105174514/https://www.tijdschriftvoorseksuologie.nl/media/k2/attachments/loeberZtvsZ32-3.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In one cross-cultural study, slightly more than half of all women self-reported bleeding during first intercourse, with significantly different levels of pain and bleeding reported depending on their region of origin.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Amy|first=Jean-Jacques|date=January 2008|title=Certificates of virginity and reconstruction of the hymen|journal=The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care|language=en|volume=13|issue=2|pages=111–113|doi=10.1080/13625180802106045|pmid=18465471|s2cid=37484764|issn=1362-5187}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> Not all women experience pain, and one study found a correlation between the experience of strong emotions &ndash; such as excitement, nervousness, or fear &ndash; with experiencing pain during first intercourse.<ref name="Pain">{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1007/BF01542003|title = The experience of pain during women's first sexual intercourse: Cultural mythology about female sexual initiation|year = 1985|last1 = Weis|first1 = David L.|journal = Archives of Sexual Behavior|volume = 14|issue = 5|pages = 421–438|pmid = 4062539|s2cid = 6427129}}</ref>

In several studies of adolescent female rape survivors, where patients were examined at a hospital following sexual assault, half or fewer of survivors who had not had penetration previously had any injury to the hymen.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |vauthors=White C, McLean I |date=2006-05-01|title=Adolescent complainants of sexual assault; injury patterns in virgin and non-virgin groups|journal=Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine|language=en|volume=13|issue=4|pages=172–180|doi=10.1016/j.jcfm.2006.02.006|pmid=16564196|issn=1353-1131|quote=Hymen injury was noted in 40 (50.6%) participants of the virgin group, but only 11 (12.4%) of the non-virgin group}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Adams|first1=Joyce A.|last2=Girardin|first2=Barbara|last3=Faugno|first3=Diana|date=May 2000|title=Signs of genital trauma in adolescent rape victims examined acutely|url=https://www.jpagonline.org/article/S1083-3188(00)00015-2/abstract|journal=Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology|language=en|volume=13|issue=2|page=88|doi=10.1016/S1083-3188(00)00015-2|pmid=10869972|issn=1083-3188}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|date=2001-11-01|title=Adolescent Sexual Assault: Documentation of Acute Injuries Using Photo-colposcopy|journal=Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology|language=en|volume=14|issue=4|pages=175–180|doi=10.1016/S1083-3188(01)00126-7|issn=1083-3188|quote=The incidence of hymenal tears in self-described virgins was higher than in nonvirgins (19% vs. 3%, P  .008);|last1=Adams|first1=Joyce A.|last2=Girardin|first2=Barbara|last3=Faugno|first3=Diana|pmid=11748013}}</ref> Tears of the hymen occurred in less than a quarter of cases.<ref name=":7" /> However, subjects that previously had not had penetrative intercourse were significantly more likely to have sustained injuries to the hymen than subjects who were found to have had penetrative intercourse.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />

In a study of adolescents who had previously had consensual sex, approximately half showed evidence of trauma to the hymen.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Adams|first1=Joyce A.|last2=Botash|first2=Ann S.|last3=Kellogg|first3=Nancy|date=March 2004|title=Differences in hymenal morphology between adolescent girls with and without a history of consensual sexual intercourse|journal=Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine|volume=158|issue=3|pages=280–285|doi=10.1001/archpedi.158.3.280|issn=1072-4710|pmid=14993089|quote=Subjects who admitted having past intercourse still had non disrupted, intact hymens in 52% of cases.|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/you-it/200806/new-york-times-is-wrong-about-hymens-they-are-not-alone|title=New York Times Is Wrong about Hymens--But They Are Not Alone|website=Psychology Today|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-09-08}}</ref> Trauma to the hymen may also occur in adult non-virgins following consensual sex, although it is rare.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Slaughter|first1=Laura|last2=Brown|first2=Carl R.V.|last3=Crowley|first3=Sharon|last4=Peck|first4=Roxy|date=March 1997|title=Patterns of genital injury in female sexual assault victims|journal=American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology|volume=176|issue=3|pages=609–616|doi=10.1016/s0002-9378(97)70556-8|pmid=9077615|issn=0002-9378}}</ref> Trauma to the hymen may heal without any visible sign of injury.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name="emans" /> An observational study of adolescent sexual assault victims found that majority of wounds to the hymen healed without any visible sign of injury having occurred.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Reading|first=Richard|date=2007-12-12|title=Healing of hymenal injuries in prepubertal and adolescent girls: a descriptive study|journal=Child: Care, Health and Development|language=en|volume=34|issue=1|pages=137–138|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2214.2007.00818_7.x|issn=0305-1862|quote=Of the girls who sustained 'superficial', 'intermediate,' or 'deep' lacerations, 15 of 18 prepubertal girls had smooth and continuous appearing hymenal rims, whereas 24 of 41 adolescents' hymens had a normal, 'scalloped' appearance and 30 of 34 had no disruption of continuity on healing. The final 'width' of a hymenal rim was dependent on the initial depth of the laceration. No scar tissue formation was observed in either group of girls.}}</ref>

Trauma to the hymen is hypothesized to occur as a result of various other behaviors, such as [[tampon]] or [[menstrual cup]] use, [[pelvic examination]]s with a [[Speculum (medical)|speculum]], [[masturbation]], gymnastics, or horseback riding, although the true prevalence of trauma as a result of these activities is unclear.<ref name="ucsb sexinfo" /><ref>{{Cite journal|date=1998-06-08|title=Can tampon use cause hymen changes in girls who have not had sexual intercourse? A review of the literature|journal=Forensic Science International|language=en|volume=94|issue=1–2|pages=147–153|doi=10.1016/S0379-0738(98)00053-X|issn=0379-0738|last1=Goodyear-Smith|first1=Felicity A.|last2=Laidlaw|first2=Tannis M.|pmid=9670493}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=1994-07-01|title=Hymenal findings in adolescent women: Impact of tampon use and consensual sexual activity|journal=The Journal of Pediatrics|language=en|volume=125|issue=1|pages=153–160|doi=10.1016/S0022-3476(94)70144-X|issn=0022-3476|quote=Contrary to the popular belief that transections of the hymen are associated with gymnastics, horseback riding, and other vigorous sports, we found no relation between sports or gymnastics and hymenal changes. There was also no relation to prior gynecologic examination.|last1=Emans|first1=S.Jean|last2=Woods|first2=Elizabeth R.|last3=Allred|first3=Elizabeth N.|last4=Grace|first4=Estherann|pmid=8021768}}</ref>

==Cultural and religious significance==
{{further|Virginity test}}
The hymen is often attributed important cultural significance in certain communities because of its association with a woman's [[virginity]]. In those cultures, an intact hymen is highly valued at marriage in the belief that this is a proof of virginity.<ref name="ucsb sexinfo" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-muslimwomen-europe-virginity-idUSL2532025120070430?pageNumber=2&sp=true |title=Muslim women in France regain virginity in clinics |work=Reuters |quote='Many of my patients are caught between two worlds,' said Abecassis. They have had sex already but are expected to be virgins at marriage according to a custom that he called 'cultural and traditional, with enormous family pressure'. | date=April 30, 2007}}</ref><ref name=europe/> Some women undergo [[hymenorrhaphy]] to restore their hymen for this reason.<ref name="europe">{{Cite news|last1=Sciolino|first1=Elaine|last2=Mekhennet|first2=Souad|date=June 11, 2008|title=In Europe, Debate Over Islam and Virginity|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/world/europe/11virgin.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=hymen&st=nyt&oref=slogin|access-date=2008-06-13|quote='In my culture, not to be a virgin is to be dirt,' said the student, perched on a hospital bed as she awaited surgery on Thursday. 'Right now, virginity is more important to me than life.'}}</ref> In October 2018, the [[United Nations Human Rights Council|UN Human Rights Council]], [[UN Women]] and the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) stated that virginity testing must end as "it is a painful, humiliating and traumatic practice, constituting [[violence against women]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/17-10-2018-united-nations-agencies-call-for-ban-on-virginity-testing|title=United Nations agencies call for ban on virginity testing|date=17 October 2018|publisher=World Health Organization|access-date=22 October 2018}}</ref>

Some traditional [[Christian theology|Christian theological interpretations]] state that it is intended by God for the husband to be the one to break his wife's hymen, and that the bleeding the hymen, believed occur during first intercourse (but see above), is a [[Covenant (religion)#Christianity|blood covenant]] that seals the bond of [[Christian views on marriage|holy matrimony]] between husband and wife (cf. ''[[consummation]]'').<ref name="Gentry2021">{{cite book |last1=Gentry |first1=Harold |title=Intimacy |date=21 January 2021 |publisher=[[Thomas Nelson (publisher)|WestBow Press]] |isbn=978-1-6642-1232-9 |language=en}}</ref>

==Womb fury==
In the 16th and 17th centuries, medical researchers mistakenly saw the presence or absence of the hymen as founding evidence of physical diseases such as "womb-fury", i.e., [[female hysteria|(female) hysteria]]. If not cured, womb-fury would, according to doctors practicing at the time, result in death.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Berrios | first1 = GE | last2 = Rivière | first2 = L | year = 2006 | title = Madness from the womb | journal = History of Psychiatry | volume = 17 | issue = 66 Pt 2 | pages = 223–35 | doi=10.1177/0957154x06065699| pmid = 17146991 | s2cid = 148179899 | url = https://hal.science/hal-00570861 }}</ref><ref>The linkage between the hymen and social elements of control has been taken up in Marie Loughlin's book [https://archive.org/details/hymeneuticsinter00loug/page/43 <!-- quote="womb fury" hymen. --> Hymeneutics: Interpreting Virginity on the Early Modern Stage] published in 1997</ref>
<!--==Modern perspective==In late 2005, Monica Christiansson, former maternity ward nurse and Carola Eriksson, a PhD student at [[Umeå University]] announced that according to studies of medical literature and practical experience, the hymen should be considered a social and cultural myth, based on deeply rooted stereotypes of women's roles in sexual relations with men. Christiansson and Eriksson support their claims by pointing out that there are no accurate medical descriptions of what a hymen actually consists of. Statistics presented by the two state that fewer than 30% of women who have gone through puberty and have consensual intercourse bleed the first time. Christiansson has expressed an opinion that the use of the term "hymen" should be discontinued and that it should be considered an integral part of the vaginal opening.<ref>[http://na.se/artikel.asp?intId=929711 Nerikes Allehanda's article on Christiansson's and Eriksson's research] {{sv icon}}</ref>-->

==Other animals==
Due to similar reproductive system development, many mammals have hymens, including [[chimpanzee]]s, [[elephant]]s, [[manatee]]s, whales, horses and [[llama]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Blank |first=Hanne|author-link=Hanne Blank|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=shq1AAAAIAAJ&q=toothed+whales | title=Virgin: The Untouched History |year=2007|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |page=23 |isbn=978-1-59691-010-2 |access-date=2013-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Blackledge |first=Catherine |title=The Story of V |year=2004 |publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]] |quote=Hymens, or vaginal closure membranes or vaginal constrictions, as they are often referred to, are found in a number of mammals, including llamas, ... | url=https://archive.org/details/storyofv00cath |url-access=registration |isbn=978-0-8135-3455-8 }}</ref>

==See also==
<!-- THIS SECTION IS ONLY FOR LINKS TO OTHER WIKIPEDIA ARTICLES -->
*[[Artificial hymen]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Hymen}}
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*[http://www.scarleteen.com/article/politics/magical_cups_bloody_brides_virginity_in_context Magical Cups and Bloody Brides]—the historical context of [[virginity]]
*[http://www.scarleteen.com/article/politics/20_questions_about_virginity_scarleteen_interviews_hanne_blank 20 Questions About Virginity]—Interview with Hanne Blank, author of ''Virgin: The Untouched History''. Discusses relationship between hymen and concept of virginity.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170923145159/http://www.htdiary.com/how-to-put-a-tampon-in-painlessly/ Putting tampon in painlessly] Radiology (US – ultrasound) of Hydrocolpos
*[http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0301/p883.html Evaluating the Child for Sexual Abuse] at the American Family Physician
*[http://www.scarleteen.com/article/body/my_corona_the_anatomy_formerly_known_as_the_hymen_the_myths_that_surround_it My Corona: The Anatomy Formerly Known as the Hymen & the Myths That Surround It] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117005752/http://www.scarleteen.com/article/body/my_corona_the_anatomy_formerly_known_as_the_hymen_the_myths_that_surround_it |date=January 17, 2013 }}, Scarleteen, Sex education for the real world
*[http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/you-it/200806/new-york-times-is-wrong-about-the-hymen-they-are-not-alone The Hymen Myth]
*[http://www.rfsu.se/en/Engelska/About-rfsu/Resources/Publications/Vagnial-Corona/ Vaginal Corona]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110225148/http://www.rfsu.se/en/Engelska/About-rfsu/Resources/Publications/Vagnial-Corona/ |date=January 10, 2017 }}.
*[https://www.bedsider.org/features/962-5-myths-about-virginity-busted 5 Myths about Virginity, Busted]

{{Female reproductive system}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hymen| ]]
[[Category:Sexual abstinence]]
[[Category:Vagina]]
[[Category:Vulva]]