What is the hymen?
Here are some facts about the hymen:
The hymen is a thin membrane-like tissue that’s located inside the opening of the vagina
The shape, size, and flexibility of a hymen is unique to each person
The hymen tissue doesn’t have a known function
Most often the hymen naturally has a hole or holes in it.
These holes are big enough for menstrual blood to come out
There are some vulvas with so little hymenal tissue that it would appear they don’t have one
There are rare cases where the hymen covers the entire vaginal opening requiring surgical intervention
The hymen tissue is thin and is naturally stretched with activities like riding a bike, playing sports and inserting a tampon or finger into the vagina.
Once stretched, the hymen does not grow back.
The hymen is a membrane with relatively few blood vessels, so if torn or stretched, may not bleed significantly.
An examination of the hymen is NOT an accurate or reliable “test” of history of sexual activity.
