Let me get you CLEAR ABOUT " VIRGINITY"

—Virginity is defined as the state of  being Virgo Intacta i.e one who has never experienced sexual intercourse.

—Defloration- loss of virginity. i.e. a female who has experienced sexual intercourse.

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VIRGINITY & DEFLORATION

A virgin is female who has not experienced sexual intercourse.

Defloration means loss of virginity.

MEDICO LEGAL ASPECTS OF  VIRGINITY:-

1.Nullity of marriage – where virginity is proof of non-           consummation of marriage.

2.Divorce – when deliberate with holding of a non-virgin                                   state before marriage may be cited as ground. 

3.Defamation of character -- when a women brings an action for                 tort for illegal damage to reputation     against person who has alleged that     she is not a virgin.

4.In criminal cases like RAPE,-- where loss of virginity may be           offered as an index of sexual           intercourse to substantiate           charge against the assailant. 

Signs of virginiTY

Labia majora are round

  fuse in the front in anterior commissure, in the back in the posterior commissure.

Labia minora are two thin folds of skin within L majora & are soft, small, pink and sensitive.

  Lower portions fuse to form a fold called fourchette.

The depression between fourchette and vagina is called fossa navicularis.

Clitoris is small.

                                             HYMEN

—A fold of mucous membrane about 1mm thick at vaginal outlet.

— It varies in position, consistency, structure and shape.

—Barely admits tip of a little finger.

—Cause small haemorrhage when it is ruptured.

—Shape is annular / semi lunar / crescentic with broader part lying posteriorly

—Torn appearance after 1st coitus. Opening is enlarged with frequent intercourse. After child birth completely lost or represented by several tags of tissue known as carunculae hymenales or mytriformis.

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              TYPES OF HYMEN

1.Semi lunar / crescentic –

opening is placed anteriorly

2.Annular

3.Infantile

4.Cribriform

5. Septate

6.Vertical

7.Imperforate

ANNULAR HYMEN:-

             Here the opening is placed near its centre with a small & oval in shape. This type is found to be narrow thick & folded.

•Is noticed in young Children & adolescent girls.

 Semilunar / Crescentic:-

Here hymenal opening is placed anteriorly, has free anterior border & Concave broad posterior border which merges in the posterior vaginal wall.

This is usually thin & membranous but can also be thick & elastic.

 FIMBRIATED :- 

    Here the free margin of the hymenal opening shows symmetrical indentations or notches anteriorly which will never extend to the vaginal wall and the mucous membrane over the notches is always found intact; these notches can be easily differentiated from the hymenal tears from sexual intercourse or from introduction of the foreign body as irregular margins and may extend to the vaginal wall, mucous membrane may be absent.

Cribriform:-
Hymen shows small opening like seive

Septate:-
Here there two lateral openings occur side by side, seperated partially or completely by thin strip of tissue.

                Ring / Fringe like / Marginal like :- This hymen with a narrow ring or fringe like or band of thick membrane all around the vaginal orifice, has no fold in tis margin and can easily distend causing gaping of the hymenal orifice, wide enough to allow free sexual intercourse without rupturing the membrane.

INFANTILE :-

   Here the hymen is seen folded , placed high up in the vulvo-vaginal passage with a small linear opening in the middle.

Imperforate Hymen:- 

No hymenal opening , as a result the menustral blood not finding its way out, will lead to haematometra & haematocolpos, so surgical intervention Eg; Fenton’s operation will be necessary to cure this ailment. This type of hymen is thick & fleshy in texture.

     MEDICOLEGAL ASPECTS 

—Principal signs: Intact hymen, normal condition of fourchette and P commissure, narrow vagina with rugose walls.

—Free margin of hymen is sometimes fimbriated showing numerous notches which resemble torn hymen. These notches are symmetrical, occur anteriorly, don’t extend to vaginal wall, mucus membrane is intact without any signs of inflammation.

—Tears are usually uniform, occur posteriorly, extend to vaginal walls, not covered by mucus membrane with signs of inflammation.

— —Rugosity of vaginal wall disappear by the birth of the child.

—Single intercourse does not alter the parts much except for rupture of hymen.

—Absence of these characters is not an indication for habitual intercourse as

—Masturbation

—Scratching

—Trauma

—Sanitary tampons

—Foreign body: sola pith for aptae viris

—Gynecological examination  may affect virgin condition.

VIRGINITY in BrieF 

1.Labia Majora:- Thick, firm, elastic, apposed to each other completely closing the vaginal orifice, even on wide abduction of thighs in lithotomy position.

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2.Labia Minora:- Thin, elastic, pink colored folded membrane like lying covered up by labia majora.

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3.Clitoris:- Small & un-enlarged.

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4.Vestibule :- Narrow

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5.Hymen:- Intact having a small central undilatable opening with its margins distinct & regular, hymenal opening not allowing more than tip of little finger to pass in; the finger insitu the hymen will be stretched and tightened but not distensible.    

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                   DEFLORATION

— 1.     Flabby & not so elastic may not be well apposed to one another, may not be completely cover up the vaginal orifice, when its lower part may gap with or without the abduction of thighs.

2.  Thick, non-elastic, blackish brown cutaneous fold of tissue. They remain exposed and protruded out in between the labia majora even when slight abduction of thighs.

3.Enlarged.

4.Wide & gaping.

5.  Usually found torn with evidence of carunculae myrtiformis. when the hymen is intact it is loose elastic and distensible with wide hymenal opening allowing 2 – 3 fingers easily into the vagina.

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