Drawings of the Hymen
No two women are alike, and no two hymens are identical! Here are a few drawings. They are highly simplified, but should give you a general impression of what the hymen may look like.The first three drawings show common examples of how the hymen may look. The membrane is perforated even before having intercourse for the first time.
The other drawings show less common examples.
The hymen completely covering the vaginal entrance was the one the women I interviewed thought was most common. In fact only one in 2000 women is born with a hymen like that. Since menstrual blood cannot pass through it, surgery is required to perforate the membrane.
Resources:
Myter om mødom. Published by Sex og Samfund, Lysthuset and the childrens' ward at Skejby Hospital. 1st edition, 2006.
Kurman, Robert J.: Blaustein's Pathology of the Female Genital Tract, 5th edition, Springer Verlag, New York, 2002.
Heger, Astrid: Evaluation of the Sexually Abused Child: A Medical Textbook and Photographic Atlas, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, 2000.
Muhammad El Hennawy, MD, Ob/Gyn Specialist
