YOUNG-WOMEN Messages for September, 2003: Re: Hymen, do they really matter?

Re: Hymen, do they really matter?

From: anon (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Sat, 27 Sep 2003 00:01:58 -0500 (CDT)

Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
Next message: anon: "Re: myths about periods help very confused"
Previous message: Harvey S. Marchbein, M.D.: "Guidelines for posting to the YOUNG-WOMEN forum"
In reply to: Valerie: "Hymen, do they really matter?"

Actually, it is done for young women that ask for it. The procedure is called hymenectomy. Some girls have the procedure done because they have difficulty wearing tampons or, rarely, the hymen blocks menstrual flow. I think the reason that it isn't done automatically for everybody at a young age is because that could give girls the message that they have something wrong or shameful in their bodies that needs to be "fixed" in order for them to be "normal" as women. Not every woman has pain her first time, partially because the hymen can erode early in life with tampon use, sports, and other activities. Many girls are born without a hymen or with only a slight one. When I started having sex, I had almost no hymen (whether I was born without or if it had just eroded by then, I don't know), and there was no pain the first time. If the hymen is too thick (or is imperforate in rare cases), that may require surgery and it is done routinely in such cases. If the situation is not that severe, a young woman can work on stretching the hymen herself before her first experience with sex, and her partner can be careful and take it slow. There is no reason why it has to be painful, if she is educated and comfortable about her sexuality and ready to make decisions about whether she wants (or needs) a hymenectomy. It sounds like you have a healthy and open attitude about sexuality, so if you keep the lines of communication open with your daughters, you will be able to express your concerns to each other and help them make this decision.

At Fri, 26 Sep 2003, Valerie wrote: >
>I am the mother of two daughters. It is perhaps premature to be
>thinking of this, but maybe it will take this long to get it sorted out.
>Why do women keep their hymens? Why do we not get them surgically
>removed and have an enjoyable first experience. It does not cause a
>male pain his first time, is this a special rite that every female must
>endure because she is female? We have the technology and the civility to
>prevent this lopsided tradition.

Next message: anon: "Re: myths about periods help very confused"
Previous message: Harvey S. Marchbein, M.D.: "Guidelines for posting to the YOUNG-WOMEN forum"
In reply to: Valerie: "Hymen, do they really matter?"

Women's Insurance Checklist from Auto Insurance Quote

use when must restrict search to only the young women's forum...
Enter search keywords:
	Returns per screen: Require all keywords: