For thousands of years, a woman’s character is tied to her virginity and her virginity is determined by the fact if or not she bleeds on her wedding night. This belief is common in almost all religions and beliefs. And the worst part is that if a woman doesn’t bleed during her first sexual intercourse, she is tagged for being characterless. Her husband has the full “right” to abandon her and her family may even murder her cold-bloodedly for the shame she brought to them. So, we see that the structure of hymen is closely related to a women’s virginity, and thus, to her whole life.
Despite all the technological advances, it is a shame that the myths surrounding a woman's hymen and virginity are still believed to be true. Even medical professionals believe in them. It seems that the truth has been discovered about a hundred years ago. But, these myths still make lives difficult for women all over the world.
But what exactly are these myths? Well, there are majorly two myths related to the structure of hymen and virginity. These are:
1. The hymen breaks and bleeds during the first vaginal intercourse
In simple words, if there is no blood on the sheets afterward, it simply implies that the woman is not a virgin.
2. The hymen disappears or is radically altered during the first vaginal intercourse
Now, this is the logical consequence of the first myth. Hence, it is easy to determine if a woman is a virgin or not.
Consequences of These Myths
These myths have lived on for centuries and are about something which is much greater than a small skinfold on a woman’s body. These are so much more than just being an anatomical misunderstanding. These myths were built and carried on in an attempt to control women’s sexuality in about every culture and religion.
Women are mistrusted, shamed, abused, or subjected to honor killing if they don’t bleed on their wedding night. In some countries, women are systematically examined in order to obtain government jobs, to save their reputations, and to simply get married. Some parents also take their daughters to get their hymens examined just to ensure that they are not “ruined”.
Women are so afraid to live up to these myths that they use various methods just so they bleed on their wedding night or get a job or for similar purposes. These methods include plastic surgery known as revirgination, vials of blood on sheets after intercourse, vaginal tightening aids, or fake hymens bought online.
It is even believed that some girls might break their hymens through rigorous sports or gymnastics. Such ridiculous beliefs often leave young girls with a fear rooted deep. They feel uncomfortable and afraid of pursuing sports. Even tampons are believed to ruin a girl’s hymen.
In some middle eastern countries, a bride is given a white bedsheet by her parents when she goes off to her husband’s house after marriage. And she is supposed to return the bedsheet to her parents with blood stains as the proof of her virginity. So, the pressure and necessity to bleed are unfathomable.
These myths have curtailed women of their opportunities and freedom. So, it is time that we put an end to these myths and hence, end the virginity fraud.
Understanding the Structure of Hymen
The common belief says that the hymen is like some kind of seal that covers the vaginal opening. In some regions, it is even called the virgin membrane. With this being said, we imagine that the hymen is something fragile and easily destructible and something which can be ripped, like a sheet of plastic. But this is the farthest from the truth.
In reality, the hymen is nothing but a thin membrane surrounding the outer opening to the vagina. Usually, it has a donut or a half-moon shape with a large central hole. This shape aids menstrual blood to flow out of the vagina. But, the half-moon shape is not the only possible shape for a hymen to have. In fact, there are three other shapes. These are:
Imperforate Hymen
Microperforate Hymen
Septate Hymen
These shapes may further have fringes, more than one central holes, or may consist of lobes. So, it can be easily inferred that hymens vary a lot from woman to woman. And this is what makes it so difficult to carry out a virginity check.
Breaking the Myths Surrounding Virginity
So, according to the myths, virgins bleed and hymens are lost forever. But on the contrary, the reality is that hymen needs not to break during vaginal intercourse. It is a flexible rim of tissues and is elastic just like a scrunchie or a rubber band. Due to the flexibility, the hymen is never lost, but it may tear a little as a result of vaginal intercourse.
So, for many of the women, the hymen may be elastic enough to handle vaginal intercourse without any bleeding even if it is for the first time. In some other women, it might tear a little which results in bleeding. So, the first myth is shattered.
Also, as the hymen is flexible, it is not possible to determine if a woman is a virgin or not. According to a study which was done on 36 teenage pregnant girls, only 2 out of 36 pregnant girls showed clear signs of intercourse. So, it is not possible to determine the virginity status of a woman by simply examining her hymen. Hence, the second myth is also proven to be baseless.
Read more: Facts about Hymen and Virginity
The Bottom Line
Some virgins bleed and the others simply don’t! Like most of the other myths, the myths surrounding the structure of hymen and its correlation with a woman’s virginity status are untrue. But unfortunately, shattering these myths is not equal to breaking free from the clutches of society. It is a question of cultural and religious oppression of women’s sexuality which is much harder to change. Ask yourself a question: Would you still not make yourself aware of this if it was you or your daughter who faced such oppression?
The hymen and virginity are not the only topics surrounded by myths. Menstruation is also surrounded by such baseless myths for years. Read more about Bursting Menstrual Myths
Written By - Neha Kundu
Edited By - Kashish Chadha
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