::::: '''... or, the hymen is not up inside the vagina.'''
I've lost count of how many romance novels I have read in which the heroine's hymen (or maidenhead, or cherry) is described as a barrier which the hero encounters (sometimes to his great surprise!) somewhere up inside the vagina. It makes for a very powerful scene when he hits the barrier and surges through it. Unfortunately, he is unlikely to find any such barrier half way up the vagina, as the hymen is actually part of the external genitalia and is visible without any sort of internal examination.
This misconception is not limited to any one genre. I have even read sloppily worded passages in guides to married sex, and sex education books, which you would expect to get it right!
===What is the hymen?===
The hymen is a thin mucus membrane partly covering the entrance to the vagina which all baby girls are born with. Its thickness will vary during childhood and pubescence, and its appearance will vary greatly between individuals. It is torn or stretched through penetrative sex, and almost entirely destroyed in a woman who has given birth.
For a more detailed description, see ''What medical texts say'', below.
===Where is it?===
In simple terms it partially covers an area just outside of the vagina, and lies in between the inner labia. To see it you will need to gently pull the inner labia apart.
For a more detailed description, see ''What medical texts say'', below.
===Surely I would have noticed it?===
Probably not.
Firstly, it's not particularly easy to get a good look at your own vulva, even with a hand mirror. And how often do most women try to look at themselves? How much time does a woman's partner spend examining her vulva under a good light?
Secondly, it's just not that obvious to the untrained eye. After puberty, the hymen is thick enough that it is not a translucent membrane: it is the same colour as the skin it attaches to. The appearance of the hymen also changes dramatically depending on the position a woman lies in when examined. Although there have been no documented cases of girls being born without a hymen (despite what most sex-ed books say) it is possible to have a ''redundant hymen'', which folds over on itself and appears to be absent unless it is gently pulled flat.
Thirdly, you've probably also read mistaken descriptions of the hymen up inside the vagina: if you're convinced that's where it is, you're not going to recognise the hymen for what it is even if you happen to locate it.
===What medical texts say===
Frankly, a lot of books on anatomy which I checked at the library were not much use for my purposes. One or two didn't mention the hymen at all, despite discussing the vulva.
I found some of the most detailed information in forensic texts where knowing the typical appearance of the vulva is critical in determining cases of abuse or rape. I have picked examples which I hope show clearly, and in relatively simple terms, the location of the hymen.
:::: "In the virginal state, a fold of mucous membrane, the ''hymen'' ("maidenhead"), forms a border around the external opening of the vagina, partially closing the orifice. Occasionally, this structure completely covers the vaginal outlet, a condition referred to as ''imperforate hymen''. Perforation has to be done before the menstrual flow can escape." ::::: ''Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology: Eleventh Edition'', by Catherine Parker Anthony and Gary A. Thibodeau. The C. V. Mosby Company. 1983. p742.
:::: "Hymen: a membranous fold which partially occludes the external orifice of the vagina." ::::: ''Evaluation of the Sexually Abused Child: A Medical Textbook and Photographic Atlas'', edited by Heger, Emans and Muram, 2000, p242.
:::: "EXTERNAL EXAMINATION ... The vulva and the perineum are examined, and the labia majora and minora are spread apart to see the entrance to the vagina, the hymen, and the urethra. The doctor is looking for any inflammation; scarring; sores; or growths such as warts, cysts, or tumors." ::::: ''Biology of Women'', by Ethel Sloane, 2000, p246.
:::: "The hymen is a delicate incomplete membrane guarding the entrance to the vagina prior to maturity and sexual experience (''Figure'' 2.2). It has one or more apertures to allow the outflow of menstrual blood and, according to their number and shape, is described as being annular, crescentic, septate or cribiform. Unless the opening is unusually large, and the hymen itself particularly elastic, coitus nearly always causes tearing. .... Inspection alone is often insufficient to permit a conclusion that a hymen is intact and unstretched; a better clinical test is to feel gently for its resistant edge with the tip of the finger. :::: "The hymen is relatively avascular so its tearing usually causes only a slight loss of blood. During childbirth the hymen is destroyed, its remains being a few tags around the vaginal orifice - ''carunculae myrtiformes''. ::::: ''Jeffcoate's Principles of Gynaecology: Fifth Edition'', revised by V. R. Tindall. Butterworth & Co. (Publishing) Ltd. 1987. pp17-18.
:::: "It has been recognised in recent years, particularly as a result of examinations of large numbers of children not thought to have been abused, that there is much more variation in the character of the hymen than was previously thought (McCann ''et al'' a and b). Hymens may be crescentic, the commonest type, where the membrane appears deficient anteriorly, with notches or clefts at the 11 and 1 o'clock positions, towards the front of the child, which may be equal in size or more prominent on one side than the other (fig. 16). Care must be taken not to confuse such findings with hymenal tears. Annular hymens with a round or oval opening are less common; fimbriated, septate and cribriform hymens are even less common (fig. 17). An imperforate hymen is rare and no child has been described as having a congentially absent hymen. In the newborn and up to the age of 3 or even 4 years the hymen is often fleshy and fimbriated. From then until the onset of puberty it is usually a thin, delicate, almost translucent, membrane with a width of tissue of at least 4 mm at the posterior aspect, at the 6 o'clock position. During pubertal development the hymen changes dramatically and becomes thickened often with a fimbriated or wavy edge. It can be extremely difficult, particularly in the child going through puberty, to distinguish natural fimbriation from tears, unless the tear extends the full width of the membrane." ::::: ''Clinical Forensic Medicine: Second Edition''. Edited by W. D. S. McLay. 1996. pp130-131.
===Examples of novels which get it wrong===
This isn't a name-and-shame exercise, but more to show just how pervasive this misconception is. It's reading countless scenes like these in otherwise accurate books which has prompted me to write this page. Authors are represented by their initials, and character names have been removed to make identification less likely. So, in no particular order:
:::: "Those ridiculous thoughts vanished as he slid inside her, slowly, carefully, one exquisite centimeter at a time. .... She closed her eyes as she felt him still against the thin membrane of her virginity"... ::::: AM, 2005, Signet
:::: "[She] felt the warmth of him, the smooth hardness when he entered her. Slowly he filled her. Thrusting upward to meet him, she paused for the briefest of seconds as [he] pushed through the barrier that made her his." ::::: SB, 2000, Xlibris
:::: "Raising his hips, he positioned himself at her entrance and slowly, slowly eased inside. .... He felt the barrier, meant to pause, then it seemed to give way of its own accord. Going deeper, he was all at once sheathed inside sheer sensation." ::::: JN, 1999, Harlequin
:::: "He plunged inside her. :::: "And stopped. :::: "Not by choice--oh, nay, not by his choice--but because there was something in his way. :::: "'Oh, just ''push''.' She cried. 'I know it's going to hurt at first. Just do it! Get it over with.'" ::::: KM, 2001, Dell
:::: "With his other hand, he inserted a finger into the opening to her womb and felt around until he encountered the barrier of her virginity. He probed no farther, but stroked the inside of her womb, while with his other hand, he petted her quim harder. ... Finding [her entrance], he began to slide into her, watching her face. The barrier of her maidenhead stopped him." ::::: KK, 2004, Ellora's Cave
:::: "And then he was inside her, and all her fantastic sensations erupted into a stretching ache that bordered on pain. :::: "'Oh, no! Stop! Oh you are too large,' she cried. :::: "'A small prick, [my dear], no matter what my size,' he whispered, soothing her with his voice and his hands and his mouth. 'Just let me get past...' But as soon as [she] began to relax, he surged into her in one long thrust that left her gasping and horrified." ::::: DS, 1998, Harlequin Mills & Boon
:::: "The bliss of being inside her drove him on. ... Her maidenhead blocked his advance, and he bared his teeth that anything, even her body's defense, opposed him. He surged forward, a swift attack against the barrier, and as he broke through, she gave a brief and bitter scream." ::::: CD, 2006, Avon
:::: "When he nudged himself inside her, he did so slowly, gently, kissing her face, and her neck and shoulders, whispering love words to her the entire time. She felt stretched as her body accepted his, then pain flared through her when he pressed past her maiden's barrier." ::::: MS, 2001, Jove
:::: "When finally her hips began to lift toward his, he swung himself over her and, slowly and carefully, exerting such superhuman control that he was shaking with it, he slid into her. :::: "The feeling of her tightness closing around him almost sent him over the edge. Struggling for gentleness, he pushed and then set his teeth and pushed harder, until he heard her cry out and he felt himself pierce through the barrier of her virginity." ::::: JW, 2001, Warner Books
:::: "He watched her face as he began to push into her body. ... And hot and slick and velvet soft yet gripping him like a fist. ... She realized she had been moving, pressing closer, trying to take more of him, wanting all of him. She could feel her muscles clenching around him, gripping him tight, beginning to spasm with the hard slide of his body. She moved again, and enticing little wiggle she couldn't quite stop. He groaned and surged forward, past the thin barrier to lodge deep." ::::: CF, 2005, Jove
:::: "It seemed the best way for him to keep her from overanalyzing a moment that should have been pure sensation and emotion was for him to keep moving. "And he did. Inexorably forward, sliding in and out until he reached the fragile barrier of her maidenhead." ::::: JQ, 2001, Avon
:::: "She held perfectly still, feeling him come deeper. It was odd, this feeling--another person becoming part of her. The pain became more insistent, and she gritted her teeth, not wanting him to know. :::: "Suddenly he reached her maidenhead and felt such a surge of relief that he nearly lost all control." ::::: CC, 1988, Signet
===Further reading; links to images===
====Websites====
====Books====
''Forensic Medicine: Clinical and Pathological Aspects'', edited by Payne-James, Busuttil and Smock, 2003. A highlight is the series of drawings which show how the position a patient lies in affects the appearance of the hymen.
''Clinical Forensic Medicine: Second Edition'', edited by W. D. S. McLay, 1996. As quoted above, but contains further information.
''Clinical Protocols in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology'', by Perlman, Nakajima and Hertweck, 2003. Includes clear photographs, including one of a redundant hymen.
''Evaluation of the Sexually Abused Child: A Medical Textbook and Photographic Atlas'', edited by Heger, Emans and Muram, 2000. Large collection of photographs of the hymen.