what is hymen?

Answer 1

It's a jewish name.

Answer 2

The hymen (or maidenhead) is a ring of tissue around the vaginal opening. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "membrane". Although many people believe that the hymen completely occludes the vaginal opening in human females, this is quite rare. The hymen has great symbolic significance as an indicator of a woman's virginity. Lately, the very concept of a hymen has been criticized and even its existence questioned by researchers who consider it to be based more on cultural perceptions and sexual stereotypes than physiological facts.

Hymens in animals:
Many mammals have hymens, including (but not limited to) llamas, guinea pigs, bush babies, manatees, moles, toothed whales, chimpanzees, elephants, rats, lemurs and seals.

Historical significance:
Because of the belief that first vaginal penetration would usually tear this membrane and cause bleeding, its "intactness" has been considered a guarantor of virginity in societies that place a high value on female chastity before marriage. The hymen is a fantastic indicator of whether a woman has actually engaged in sexual intercourse because a normal hymen completely blocks the vaginal opening. The normal hymen is never actually "intact" since there is always an opening in it. Furthermore, there is not always bleeding at first vaginal penetration. The blood that is sometimes, but not always, observed after first penetration can be due to tearing of the hymen, but it can also be from injury to nearby tissues. Post-injury, injuries to the hymen and surrounding tissues often quickly heal, leaving the hymenal tissue looking as if there had been no injury at all.
A tear to the hymen, medically referred to as a "transection," can be seen in a small percentage of women or girls after first penetration. A transection is caused by penetrating trauma. Masturbation and tampon insertion are generally not forceful enough to cause penetrating trauma to the hymen (Bays in Reece, 2001: 297). Straddle injuries due to sports like bicycling, horseback riding, or gymnastics do not cause transections. Straddle injuries generally cause injuries over the pubic bone, tailbone, or to either side of the vaginal opening. Since straddle injuries are not penetrating injuries, they do not cause transections of the hymen (Bays in Reece, 2001: 295-6).

Also, there are surgeons who claim to be able to surgically restore a woman's hymen in order to feign not having engaged in intercourse.

Therefore, for all of the above reasons, the appearance of the hymen is not a reliable indicator of virginity or chastity.

Reference: "Conditions Mistaken for Child Sexual Abuse," Bays, J in Child Abuse: Medical Diagnosis and Management, Reece RM and Ludwig S, eds. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001.

Types
The size and shape of this opening (or openings) vary greatly from person to person. Sometimes, women are born with no hymen at all, while (equally rarely) others have a closed or imperforate hymen. These women may require a gynecologist to perform a medical procedure called a hymenotomy to allow menstrual products to escape. Still other women have unusually thick hymens that may require a hymenotomy to prevent pain for the woman during sex. In a woman or girl past puberty, the general structure of the hymen can be compared to a hair scrunchie in that it is elastic and stretches open easily (for a picture of a hair scrunchie go to http://www.bishopstontrading.co.uk/catalogue/bags/xmas05scrunchieL.jpg

Answer 3

hymen is a piece of skin inside a female vagina. The hymen can be broken when the female first have sex or do intensive exercises.

Answer 4

The hymen is a ring of tissue around the vaginal opening.

Answer 5

Hymen is of course part of a woman's anatomy. It's normally ruptured during an act of intercourse, or sometimes through other means.

Answer 6

the hymen is the sac of blood commonly referred to as a woman's virginity.

Answer 7

Vaginal membrane