7 Facts You Probably Never Knew About The Hymen
of the female anatomy.
Ah, yes. The hymen. That tiny little membrane
that supposedly covers our lady parts. Let's clear
a few things up, shall we?
You might have grown up believing that whole
urban legend about the hymen "ripping" or
"breaking" during sex, and as a result, you
expected some major pain involved in your first
time. Turns out that just isn't the case, folks.
There's actually a lot we never knew about the
hymen. Psychology Today was kind enough to let
us in on a few little-known facts, so take a gander
for some eye-opening knowledge about a very
misunderstood membrane.
1. No One Really Knows Why Female Babies
Are Born With Hymens:
All we know is that they are. At birth, the
doughnut-shaped membrane is prominent and
thick, but that changes pretty rapidly.
2. Hymenal Tissue Is Usually Worn Away By
Adolescence:
During the early years, the membrane thins and
widens as a result of athletics, self-exploration,
cleansing and even activities as simple as walking. A little of the tissue may remain around
the opening of the vagina, but that's usually it.
Which means…
3. Pain Experienced By Many Women During Their First Time Isn't Because The Hymen Is Breaking:
That urban legend you've most likely heard
about? It was actually a big ol' myth. Most of the
membrane is already worn away when a woman
finally has intercourse, and plays little to no role
in discomfort. Many girls believe their initial
sexual experience is inevitably unpleasant
because that is what they've been told, so it is. It
makes sense when you think about it. When we
think something will hurt, we feel anxious and
tense which ultimately gives way to pain.
4. Those "Bloody Sheets" Aren't Because The Hymen Is Tearing, Either:
Most young partners are not experienced love-
makers. Those first times are usually less skilled
and sensual, and more trial and error. Hurried, a
poorly lubricated vagina or rough sex can cause
sensitive vaginal tissue to bleed, but not hymenal
tissue to break.
5. Intact Hymenal Membrane Doesn't Cover The Whole Vaginal Opening:
If it did, girls who still had bits of the hymen left
at puberty would not menstruate.
6. About 1 In 200 Women Have An Imperforate Hymen:
That means around 0.5% of hymens don't wear
away normally and have openings too small for
tampons or erections to comfortably enter the
vagina. These days, those cases require a fairly
simple surgery to snip away some of the
membrane. Hooray for modern medicine, right?
7. Historically, People Have Gone To Great Lengths To Prove That The Hymen Broke After Marriage:
In old cultures, families expected newlyweds to
hand over bloody sheets after the weddingnight
to confirm that the hymen had ripped, make
sure the woman was a virgin and check that the
two had consummated the union. A little nosy,
don't you think? Many brides didn't even risk it,
they would simply cut the inside of their thighs
with a sharp fingernail to soil the sheets—just in
case.
All that fuss for centuries over a totally wrong
idea?! Sigh. We're glad the myth has finally been
put to rest.
This article originally appeared on YourTango.com as: 7 Myth-Busting Facts You Probably Didn't Know About The Hymen
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Sean Rainfall @ezie101 @ThatYorubaBoyNG
☎2347062959563 PIN:2890F209 ✉ezienwoguikechukwu@yahoo.com
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