It seems to me that the hymen would create a barrier. How could your menstuation get through it?
2006-12-05 17:23:00 · 12 answers · asked by Mommy 3 in Health ➔ Women's Health
EDIT:
How would you know if you are having a period but the hymen is blocking it?
2006-12-05 17:29:40 · update #1
In most women, the hymen isn't a complete barrier. Even an intact hymen has at least a partial opening.
From wikipedia:
"In about 1 in 2000 females, the hymen fails to develop any opening at all: this is called an imperforate hymen and if it does not spontaneously resolve itself before puberty a physician will need to make a hole in the hymen to allow menstrual fluids to escape."
The wikipedia entry has descriptions of the kinds of shapes a woman's hymen can take (crescent-shaped, ring shaped, etc.)
If you have an imperforate (totally closed) hymen, you'll likely have abdominal pain, lower back pain, and maybe difficulty with urinating and bowel movements.
2006-12-05 17:36:14 · answer #1 · answered by Liz W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A womans hyman is not completely intact. Some woman have little holes in them. Some have a hole big enough to fit a finger. Some woman tore there hymens as children, while riding a bike, gymnastic, horse back riding, etc. So your period is going to pass through the hymen no problem.
2006-12-06 01:28:38 · answer #2 · answered by Bambi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only rarely is the hymen *totally* closed off to block the flow.
In those cases a dr has to create a small one.
"If the hymen is completely imperforate (no opening at all), then menstrual blood will collect in the vagina (called hematometra) and the hymen will bulge out and appear to be a dark blue (unoxygenated blood) or brown mass coming out of the vagina."
2006-12-06 01:26:45 · answer #3 · answered by ~'`~purplebutterfly~`'~ 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A womans hymen is porous. It isn't a solid piece of skin. That is the reason that the period goes through. Not every womans hymen is fully intact either.
2006-12-06 01:25:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The hymen is not a solid barrier. It is more like a thin ring or crescent of tissue that surrounds the vaginal opening, but it does not close it off.
When the hymen is "broken", it's not broken THROUGH, simply torn a bit so that a penis can fit inside.
You can find more information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymen
Be warned, there is a photograph of a vagina on that link.
2006-12-06 01:28:33 · answer #5 · answered by j3nny3lf 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A Hymen only creates a partial barrier or not @ all.
Many women lose their hymen through vigorous exercise.
2006-12-06 01:46:37 · answer #6 · answered by Fraulein 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The hymen creates a partial barrier, not a full one.
2006-12-06 01:25:41 · answer #7 · answered by Victoria 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Thats a good question but the hymen is not a seal just skin.
2006-12-06 01:25:22 · answer #8 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Usually, it does not completely close the vagina. Occasionally it does, and if a girl who is expecting to start menses doesn't, and feels bloated, a doctor can diagnose an imperforate hymen and partially open it.
2006-12-06 01:28:27 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
the hymen is not a closed barrier, just a membrane with a hole in it
2006-12-06 01:25:27 · answer #10 · answered by judy_r8 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋