HYMEN

Hi peeps, it's been a while I posted on this blog, any body miss me? I miss blogging anyway. I actually felt as a doctor it's easier for me to blog while on leave than at work, alas! Am wrong, blogging while working is easier for me, maybe that's due to what my blog is about(things I see personally) or due to increase in my adrenaline level while working, whichever way, I totally miss my blog.

Few days ago I did a small presentation on # HYMEN and virginity on twitter, it was a lovely conversation between me and my followers, I encourage all to pls follow me on Twitter @dr90ng,we can iron out lot of things.

Where am from we lay a lot of emphasy on virginity and retaining your hymen as a lady, may be keep it till your wedding night! What a mythical thought!!.

I once scanned a lady one time who claimed to be a virgin, she was brought to my office by her mom,15yr old I think, with body built like a 25yr old. The history as given,points to  pregnancy. On putting my probe, she's about 16wks gone, she was so surprised that I thought am scanning the wrong womb, maybe the womb I was scanning belong to her mom!.

As a good samarithan, I told the mom to excuse us so I can have a word with the daughter. Mothers! Amazing species they are. She did and I spoke with this little gem, she told me her teenage boy friend sometimes rubs his penis on her vagina, but they never had penetrative sex, and so she was sure she's a virgin, she even told me I can examine her with her mom, what a poor fellow, I felt bad  for her.

Well, enough of my chinua achebe-ing, what am I driving at? Is the hymen a real indicator of virginity? Can a virgin get pregnant with an intact hymen?

The hymen is a piece of skin covering the vaginal opening, it starts forming from the 4th month while a woman is still in her mothers womb, it partially surrounds the vaginal opening but not covering it completely such that there is a hole that remains open at all time, offcourse the hymen differs in women.
The skin of the hymen gets thicker with maturity, such that it's lighter in children and with rigorous activities like dancing, cycling, strenuous exercises it can be broken.

I am of the opinion that the hymen is not a real indicator of virginity (my opinion), I see a lot of rape cases, where doctors will be asked to confirm if the act actually occur,most of these cases are seen few days after the evil act, hence limiting the authenticity of our examinations. Most times, the hymen is never intact, this doesn't make it a rape, the lady or little girl as the case may be could have ruptured the hymen from other causes, which cannot be proven medically, at least in my country.

It will be surprising that most people don't even know where the hymen is, even the owner of this gem might not. Doctors are not left out of these ignorance. Few to most physicians don't know.

It must be said that a woman can actually get pregnant despite an intact hymen, note that intact hymen in this case is not synonymous with virginity. From the case scenario I gave above, if you have intact gem and romance the penis close to the vaginal canal without active penetration, there is a high probability that the male ejaculate can find its way into the vagina canal, resulting in pregnancy if the timing is right. I have seen cases like this.

The hymen can actually be a gift and a curse in some circumstances, e. g case of imperforate hymen. In these case there's no opening in the hymen at all, this might go unnoticed for a while till the young lady start menstruating, there will not be outward flow of the blood which can lead to other medical conditions.

As long as am not encouraging anything as per virginity or no virginity, there a few tips on stretching the hymen naturally
1.Place one lubricated fingers against the hymen gently. Work on trying to get at least the pinky finger inside. You can attempt to work up to two fingers, but remember to be gentle.
Vigorous exercise can help to stretch or even pre-break the hymen. Sports like Horseback riding, motorcycle riding and dancing are infamous for rupturing the hymen. If your partner suspects you are not a virgin, explain these facts to them.
Tampon use can help to stretch or break the hymen. Start using the smallest type and work up to the larger sizes. A small amount of sterile lubricant can ease the tampon into place. Never force a tampon into the vagina.
The first time you have intercourse, make sure your partner moistens their finger with lubricant and gently manipulates the hymen first.

There are surgeries being done to replace broken hymen, so who says u can only be a virgin once! There are claims that some drugs can actually create or repair the hymen, I have not seen any of those drugs, but the fact am writing from Nigeria can be a factor, so hit me up if you have seen any of such, or if you have any contribution towards this topic, we can all learn one or two things.

So, Mr I can only marry a virgin, good luck to you, your golden virgin just left dr90210's office!. You don't have to know (in John legends voice)