Addressing the Myth of the Hymen

For too long, the presence of a hymen has been perceived as proof of virginity, that is, evidence that one hasn’t had penetrative sexual intercourse. This perception continues even though there is no scientific basis for it. Virginity tests persist around the world, despite being condemned as a human rights violation by the World Health Organization in 2018.

In this article, Sophia Smith Galer explores global beliefs and practices around the hymen and the real scientific research on the vaginal corona. Galer wrote the recent book “Losing It: Dispelling the Sex Myths That Rule Our Lives."

The hymen is small tissue near the vaginal opening. It can vary from person to person. In most cases, it doesn’t cover the vaginal opening fully. Additionally, it can tear with exercise or other non-sexual forms of penetration. The reality is that most people don’t bleed the first time they have sex. When they bleed, it’s not usually from the hymen tearing. Nevertheless, the myth of the hymen can contribute to fear and anxiety around sex.

Galer found that some medical professionals not only support the myth of the hymen but profit from it. Doctors offer hymen repair surgeries or hymenoplasties that claim to repair the hymen to a “virgin” state.

Sex education and sex positivity are changing perceptions of the hymen, however. In 2009, for example, the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education shifted to using the term “vaginal corona” and developed pamphlets to explain why.

Despite this having no scientific basis – and despite virginity itself being a social construct with no biological reality – millions around the world continue to believe that a woman's sexual history is somehow writ into her anatomy, and that all cisgender women bleed the first time that they have sex. Neither, of course, are true – yet such beliefs can be found in languages, religions and communities across the globe.

SOURCE: BBC • AUTHOR: Sophia Smith Galer • LAST UPDATED: April 19, 2022