Hymen

To document an unusual cause of abdominal pain in premenarcheal adolescent girls. Case report. A training and research hospital in Istanbul. Two cases of hematocolpos in two adolescent girls due to imperforate hymen were reported. Both of them manifested lower abdominal pain and urinary retention. Hymenotomy was performed in both the cases. Imperforate hymen is a rare diagnosis, but should be considered when dealing with premenarcheal adolescent girls with lower abdominal symptoms or back pain.

Abstract
Although body modification is not a new phenomenon, hymenoplasty (the surgical restoration of the hymen), can be a regarded as a new arena of struggle for the domination of the female body. Intact hymen as a sign of “purity” is a powerful phenomenon that gathers many cultural practices and reconstruction of it opens up novel discussions on the old established idea of virginity. This article focuses on how the presence of hymen as a proof of virginity, is commoditized and gain an exchange value via the domain of cosmetic/plastic surgery clinics and recently marketed non-surgical artificial hymen products. Advertisements of products that create the illusion of virginity and both the empowering and disempowering discourse around hymenoplasty is considered. I analyze advertisement texts and products making use of the literature on consumer culture primarily borrowing Jean Baudrillard’s (1981) critique of use-valueStuart Hall’s (1973) conceptualization of the polysemic nature of a sign and Michel de Certeau’s (1994) ideas on everday life..
Keywords: Hymen, hymenoplasty, virginity, commodity culture

Kayıp Bekareti Bulmak Üzerine:
Tüketim Kültüründe Nükseden Kızlık Zarına Eleştirel Bir Bakış

Özet
Beden görünümünün değiştirilmesi üzerine yapılan estetik operasyonlar yeni olmasa da, kızlık zarının restorasyon operasyonu (hymenoplasty) kadın bedeni üzerine kurulan tahakküm konusunda yeni bir mücadele konusu yaratmıştır. “Saflığın” simgesi olarak kızlık zarının varlığı birçok kültürel uygulamayı beraberinde getirmekte ve rekonstrükyonu bekaret ile ilgili süre gelen geleneksel düşünceler konusunda yeni tartışmalar başlatmaktadır. Bu makale, bekaretin kanıtı olarak kızlık zarının varlığının estetik operasyonlar ve pazarlanmaya başlanan yapay kızlık zarı ürünleri ile nasıl metalaştırıldığına ve alım satım değeri kazandığına odaklanmaktadır. Bekaret yanılgısı yaratan ürünlerin reklamlarına odaklanan yazı, hymenoplasty operasyonlarının etrafında toplanan hem geleneksel hem de taktiksel bir yanı olması nedeniyle meydan okuyan söylemler üzerinde durmaktadır. Tüketim üzerine üzerine yazılan eleştirel kuramsal çerçeveyi kullanan yazı, Jean Baudrillard’ın (1981) kullanım değeri üzerine getirdiği eleştiriyi, Stuart Hall’un göstergenin çokanlamlı doğasına dair kavramsallaştırması ve Michel de Certeau’nun (1994) gündelik hayat üzerine fikirlerinden yola çıkmaktadır.
Anahtar kelimeler: Kızlık zarı, hymenoplasty, bekaret, tüketim kültürü

Trouver la virginité perdue:
Un regard critique à «l'hymen réapparaissant» dans la culture de consommation

Abstrait
Même si les opérations esthétiques ne sont pas un phénomène nouveau afin de modifier le corps,  l’hyménoplastie (l’opération chirurgicale de l'hymen) a évoqué un nouveau sujet de la lutte contre la domination faite sur le corps des femmes. L’existence de l’hymen, en tant que le symbole de “Pureté”, apporte plusieurs pratiques culturelles et fait commencer les nouvelles discussions sur les pensées traditionnelles par rapport avec la reconstruction de l’hymen. Cet article se concentre sur la présence de l'hymen considérée comme une preuve de la virginité et celle qui est commercialisée par les opérations esthétiques et les produits artificiels de l’hymen et sur l’acquisition d’achat et vente. L’article sur les publications de produits créées l’illusion de l’hymen se cible sur les discours autours des opérations de l’hyménoplastie défiant à la fois le côté traditionnel et le côté tactique. L’article écrit sur la consommation en prenant en considération le cadre théorique, suscite les critiques de la valeur d’usage de Jean Baudrillard (1981) et les concepts de polysémie du signede Stuart Hall (1973)  et les idées de Michel de Certeau sur ordinaire vie.
Mots-clés: L’Hymen, l’hyménoplastie, la virginité, la culture de consommation

Imperforate hymen is relatively rare but it is the most frequently encountered obstructive anomaly of the female lower genital tract. The clinical presentation vary significantly from patient to patient depending on the age at diagnosis but in most cases the diagnosis is missed in early childhood and therefore the diagnosis is made after puberty when the patient present with haematocolpos, heamatometra.or both. When this happens, the presentation could even be tricky because the patient may presents with unlikely symptoms apart from cryptomenorhoea like, urinary retention or bowel obstruction or both. Here we present a 16 years old girl with imperforate hymen and presented with history of lower abdominal pain and distension associated with acute urinary retention. She was treated by hymenotomy and improved dramatically and was discharge 6th day post operatively. This case report is presented to address to clinicians the possibility of imperforate hymen with haematocolpos as a differ...

Imperforate hymen is relatively rare but it is the most frequently encountered obstructive anomaly of the female lower genital tract. The clinical presentation vary significantly from patient to patient depending on the age at diagnosis but in most cases the diagnosis is missed in early childhood and therefore the diagnosis is made after puberty when the patient present with haematocolpos, heamatometra.or both. When this happens, the presentation could even be tricky because the patient may presents with unlikely symptoms apart from cryptomenorhoea like, urinary retention or bowel obstruction or both. Here we present a 16 years old girl with imperforate hymen and presented with history of lower abdominal pain and distension associated with acute urinary retention. She was treated by hymenotomy and improved dramatically and was discharge 6th day post operatively. This case report is presented to address to clinicians the possibility of imperforate hymen with haematocolpos as a differ...

Congenital urethrovaginal fistulas are rare, and all five reported cases have been associated with urogenital abnormalities. We describe a case of congenital urethrovaginal fistula with an imperforate hymen and no other urogenital abnormalities. A 25-year-old female sought medical advice regarding cyclical hematuria, dyspareunia, and infertility of four years' duration. Investigations disclosed a urethrovaginal fistula with an imperforate hymen. The patient was successfully treated with excision of the hymen and closure of the urethrovaginal fistula. In this instance, the diagnosis of congenital urethrovaginal fistula was delayed until adulthood because the presence of urinary incontinence, the usual presentation of a urethrovaginal fistula, was concealed by the imperforate hymen. We could find no previously reported case of urethrovaginal fistula with imperforate hymen.

Du recours aux hymens artificiels « chinois » à la pratique des réfections chirurgicales de l’hymen (hyménorraphie et hyménoplastie), cet article se penche sur les espaces interstitiels permettant de négocier l’impératif social de virginité prénuptiale. Au-delà de la description des usages en vigueur, il s’agit d’analyser la construction sémantique du discours de différents acteurs (jeunes femmes, corps médical, autorités religieuses), en montrant comment s’élabore une logique morale aux réfections d’hymen, qui convoque tour à tour les principes de repentance, protection et bien commun, ainsi que la notion de purification physique et psychique. Il importe en définitive de montrer comment les chirurgies de l’intime posent les techniques médicales à l’intersection de normes culturelles et arrangements individuels, sociaux et religieux, relevant tant du savoir-faire que du savoir-taire.


From the use of "chinese" artificial hymens to the practice of surgical repairs of the hymen (hymenorraphy and hymenoplasty), this article examines the interstitial spaces that make it possible to negotiate the social imperative of prenuptial virginity. Besides describing the practices in use, the article is also analysing the semantic construction of the discourse of the different actors involved (young women, medical personnel, religious authorities), in order to detail how a moral logic is elaborated regarding the reconstruction of the hymen, which uses the principles of repentance, protection and the common good, as well as the notion of physical and psychic purification. Ultimately, it is important to show how intimate surgeries place medical techniques at the intersection of cultural norms and individual, social and religious arrangements, which are relevant to both knowing how to proceed in these circumstances, and to knowing how to keep quiet about them.

... Address correspondence to Eleni E. Drakonaki, MD, PhD, Venizeleion General Hospital, Knossou Avenue, Heraklion, Crete 71107, Greece. ... long axis) x 5.6 (short axis) x 5.2 (anteroposteriorly) cm and containing echogenic fluid, corresponding to a distended vagina (Figure 1 ...

Imperforate hymen is relatively rare but it is the most frequently encountered obstructive anomaly of the female lower genital tract. The clinical presentation vary significantly from patient to patient depending on the age at diagnosis but in most cases the diagnosis is missed in early childhood and therefore the diagnosis is made after puberty when the patient present with haematocolpos, heamatometra.or both. When this happens, the presentation could even be tricky because the patient may presents with unlikely symptoms apart from cryptomenorhoea like, urinary retention or bowel obstruction or both. Here we present a 16 years old girl with imperforate hymen and presented with history of lower abdominal pain and distension associated with acute urinary retention. She was treated by hymenotomy and improved dramatically and was discharge 6th day post operatively. This case report is presented to address to clinicians the possibility of imperforate hymen with haematocolpos as a differ...

To investigate the preferred actions of healthcare staff, as well as their reasoning and attitudes about young females' requests for a virginity certificate or hymen restoration. A qualitative study, consisting of semi-structured interviews of healthcare providers from different parts of Sweden and from different medical specialties and professions, who had experience of women who asked for a virginity certificate or a hymen repair. Using content analysis, ten themes emerged regarding healthcare personnel's attitudes and reasoning about young female patients and their requests for demonstration of virginity. The themes logically were categorised as values, beliefs, and cultural affiliation. Responders had a more pragmatic and permissive view than the restrictive, official Swedish policy opposing hymenoplasties within the public healthcare system. There were degrees of willingness to accommodate such requests, due, for example, to different moral beliefs and medical concerns....

Objectives To explore midwives' perceptions regarding virginity control and hymen 'reconstructions', and how these practices can be debated from a gender perspective. Methods An international group of 266 midwives answered an open-ended question in a Web survey. The great majority came from the Western world, among them, the majority were from Europe. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results Three themes emerged: misogynistic practices that cement the gender order, which revealed how the respondents viewed virginity control and hymen 'reconstructions'; raising public awareness and combatting practices that demean women, which were suggested as strategies by which to combat these practices; and promoting agency in women and providing culturally sensitive care, which were considered to improve health care encounters. Conclusions Virginity control and hymen 'reconstructions' are elements of patriarchy, whereby violence and control are e...

Sexual assault is one of the fast growing violent crimes in Bangladesh. We carried out a retrospective study of 675 alleged rape victims out of total examined 1665 cases during 1994–2000. In the last seven years, 441 victims refused examination and a final report is ...

Hymen reconstruction is a controversial measure performed to help young females under threat of honour-related violence. Official guidelines often reject offering hymen reconstructions. On the other hand, extraordinary measures in order to enable operations of Jehovah's Witnesses who want a bloodless operation in order to avoid religiously related sanctions are often considered praiseworthy. The aim is thus to examine whether or not there are relevant differences between these two measures. We identified twelve potential differences. One difference could be considered relevant (patient-safety), but in favour of hymenoplastic operations. Since we did not identify enough relevant differences to justify offering bloodless operations to Jehovah's Witnesses but not offering hymen reconstruction due to honour-related norms, we conclude that these two groups of patients should be treated equally. This means that neither of the patient groups should be offered these extraordinary op...