1. society
2. sex

HYMENS AND VIRGINITY
KATHY LOWE
Nurse Specialist
FVI Coordinator
ADHB
kathyl@adhb.govt.nz
STOP
What is a hymen?
Definition
“If you’re a virgin, you may have a hymen, a thin
membrane which covers the opening to the vagina.
Don’t panic if you haven’t had sex but it doesn’t
appear to be there. Usually it’s torn during
childhood through activities like horse-riding and
gymnastics or from using tampons.”
Hot Sex Tips 2002
What about bleeding at first
coitus?
OTHER KEY LITERATURE
Do women bleed at first intercourse?
Whitley N 1978 Retrospective interview 100 women re: first S/I
• 44% - No bleeding
• 56% - Bleeding – of which 5% stated was minimal
• 54% - No or minimal pain
Adams JA, Knudson S 1996
• 121 / 204 (59%) No bleeding ever with penetration
As an adolescent, can anyone tell if
you have had sex or been
sexually abused?
It is normal to be
normal!
Libra tampon info July 2003
• Your hymen is an elastic, stretchy membrane that is
at the entrance of your vagina. It has a hole or series
of holes in it to allow for the period blood to drip
through.
• Back in the old days when all young women did
was read, sew and faint ,their hymen stayed in place
until they had sex for the first time.
• Today, girls ride bikes, ride horses, are much more
physically active and they use tampons.
Libra tampon info August 2003
• Your hymen is an elastic, stretchy membrane that is at the
entrance of your vagina. It has a hole in it to allow for the
period blood to drip through.
• It is a BIG MYTH that the hymen breaks. It doesn't. It just
stretches like a scrunchy. Some people have a stretchier
hymen than others. So some women will bleed the first time
they have sex if their hymen is a bit tight but this heals
quickly.
• Pain, and discomfort in sex is all to with young people rushing
things, lack of arousal, being drunk, being tense and stressed
rather than the hymen breaking.
Losing your virginity
Virginity
• A quality an individual (male or female) has
and may choose to change by deciding, freely
and without coercion or impairment, to
experience sexual intimacy with another
person of his/her choice.
Doctor Christine Foley
Culture and virginity
• Tonga
• Italy
• South Africa
TONGA
• Theoretically, a girl received suitors at a faikava, or kava-drinking
gathering. She presided over the bowl, made the kava, and handed out
the cups. The suitors sat in a circle around the bowl, chatting, bragging,
arguing, and showing off for the demure young lady. All was done under
the eye of the elders, thus protecting the maiden from any unseemly
advances.
• There was less tolerance of sexual mistakes on the part of high-born
women, who were expected to "demonstrate" their virginity by bleeding
heavily on their wedding night. The groom's aunts would display the
stained barkcloth (or later, sheet), after bathing the bride to inspect her
for cuts that might have been inflicted to draw blood. It is said that
grooms might show their love and concern for non-bleeding brides by
cutting themselves and smearing their own blood on the barkcloth or
sheet.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Tonga
A grade virgin classification
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Labia very light pink
Size of vaginal opening small
Vagina very tight and dry
White dot or lacy veil clearly evident
Eyes should reflect virginity in that they look
innocent
• Breasts firm and taut
• Muscles behind knees should be tight and taut.
Leclerc-Madlala S. virginity testing: Managing sexuality in a maturing HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Medical Anthropology Quarterly 2001 15(4):533-552
B grade virgin classification
• May have had intercourse once or twice, or
may have been abused
• Labia a deeper shade of pink
• Vaginally opening slightly lubricated
• White dot and lacy veil show evidence of
being disturbed
• Mother warned to watch daughter closely
C grade virgin classification
Essentially means failure
Vagina “too wide and too wet”
No evidence of white dot or lacy veil
Girl’s eyes betray her as someone “who knows men”
Most virginity testers say that it is useless to do
anything further for these girls
• As a sexually active woman, she represents a danger
to the virgins
• Her loss of virginity is conceived as a contagion that
would cause chaste girls to lose their virginity should
they remain in close company with her
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‘Appearance Gynaecologist' Dr xxxxx
He regularly advertises his services in the NZ Herald and a visit to his
website shows that women can choose from a range of procedures which
includes:
* hymen reconstruction which
repairs 'the hymen as if nothing ever
happened'
* perineum rejuvenation to
'rejuvenate' the relaxed or aging
perineum and enhance the sagging
labia majora and labia minora to
provide a youthful and aesthetically
appealing vagina.
Sexual Health Education
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Let’s talk about sex – mechanical and emotional
Or not having sex
Dispel myths – volume of sperm , ‘drain’ after sex
Orgasm and sexual abuse
Homosexuality
Tampon usage –
correct angle, won’t come out your nose
So what have we learnt?
Google Search October 2012
• Sell Artificial Virginity Hymen
• Price: 22.99 USD
• No more worry about losing your virginity. With this product, you can have
your first night back anytime. Insert this artificial hymen into your vagina
carefully. It will expand a little and make you feel tight. When your lover
penetrate, it will ooze out a liquid that look like the really blood, not too
much but just the right amount. Add in a few moans and groans, you will
pass through undetectable. Its easy to use, clinically proven non-toxic to
human and has no side effects, no pain to use, no allergic reaction. Price :
US$22.99 Minimum Order Quantity : 50