hymen
Sign in to saveThe hymen is a thin piece of mucosal tissue that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening. A small percentage of females are born with hymens that are imperforate and completely obstruct the vaginal canal. It forms part of the vulva and is similar in structure to the vagina. The word is from the Greek ὑμήν meaning a thin skin or membrane. Many mammals possess hymens due to similar reproductive development.
AI overview
The hymen is a thin piece of tissue that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening and forms part of the vulva. In rare cases, a person may be born with a hymen that completely blocks the vaginal canal, which requires medical attention, but otherwise the hymen's biological role is not well established.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Anatomy.Name
- Hymen
- Anatomy.Latin
- hymen
- Anatomy.Greek
- ὑμήν
- Anatomy.Image
- Hymen en.svg
- Anatomy.Caption
- Various hymen defects (the shaded areas represent the vaginal opening)
- Anatomy.Image2
- Haultain_and_Ferguson_-_external_female_genital_organs.svg
- Anatomy.Caption2
- External genitals of a human female
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Development and histology
- Anatomic variations
- Trauma
- Cultural and religious significance
- Womb fury
- Other animals
- See also
- References
- External links
The hymen is a thin piece of mucosal tissue that surrounds or partially covers the vaginal opening. A small percentage of females are born with hymens that are imperforate and completely obstruct the vaginal canal. It forms part of the vulva and is similar in structure to the vagina. The word is from the Greek ὑμήν meaning a thin skin or membrane. Many mammals possess hymens due to similar reproductive development.
In children, a common appearance of the hymen is crescent-shaped, although many shapes are possible. Each shape in the natural range has a Latinate name. During puberty, estrogen causes the hymen to change in appearance and become very elastic. Normal variations of the post-pubertal hymen range from thin and stretchy to thick and somewhat rigid. Very rarely, it may be completely absent.