The problem is I've been bogged down by so much work lately that I didn't have the time to surf around looking for good stuff and so I didn't have any inspiration to put up new stuff here. Until recently... ;)
A discussion in class with the 107/307 group on sexual reproduction lately led to a question about the hymen. Some didn't know what it was and others didn't know what it looked like. So I've decided to take this opportunity to educate. This post is going to be all about the hymen!
A hymen is the thin piece of tissue (more correctly a fold of mucous membrane) which surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening. It is sometimes called the maidenhead or cherry. It is named after the Greek god Hymenaeus, the god of marriage and has no known biological function.
The hymen varies in size and shape from woman to woman. The hymen usually does not cover the entire vaginal opening, since there must be some way for the menstrual fluid, or period, to leave the body. The most common formation of the hymen is crescentic or crescent-shaped, although several other formations are possible (go to http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/hymen.html for some of these formations). The hymen can be torn or dilated while participating in sports like cycling, horseback riding, gymnastics or inserting tampons, or even while masturbating (which I don't recommend you do!). There may be little or no blood or pain involved when this happens and so, may go unnoticed. Knowing that there are many ways through which the hymen can tear helps us to understand that the presence or absence of a hymen in no way indicates whether or not a female is a virgin (you are a virgin until you have sexual intercourse). Anyway, some hymens are elastic enough to permit a penis to enter without tearing, or they tear only partially, and there is no bleeding at all.
Alright, I don't know if this answers all your questions but I'm hoping it at least answers some of the main questions.
