The hymen (also called maidenhead) is a fold of mucous membrane which surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening. It was also the name for the Greek god of marriage, “Hymenaios.”It forms part of the vulva, or external genitalia. An English slang term is “cherry”, as in “popping one’s cherry” (losing one’s virginity). However, it is not possible to confirm that a woman or post-pubescent girl is not a virgin by examining the hymen. In cases of suspected rape or sexual abuse, a detailed examination of the hymen may be carried out; however, the condition of the hymen alone is often inconclusive or open to misinterpretation, especially if the patient has reached puberty. The most common formation of the hymen is crescentic or crescent-shaped, although several other formations are possible. After a woman gives birth she may be left with remnants of the hymen called carunculae myrtiformes or the hymen may be completely absent.
In some cultures the existence of an intact hymen is highly valued at marriage. In Korea the word for hymen translates literally as “virgin-skin” and a small industry has grown up around its surgical reconstruction through plastic surgery. In 1994 the Korean Medical Research Center was made to pay compensation to a 40-year-old woman for extreme psychological distress after she lost her hymen during a Pap smear test. The court found that, “it is clear that the hymen is still recognized as a symbol of ‘virginity’ and keeping virginity is valued in society”. Some Korean prenatal clinics offer STD tests with hymen reconstructive surgery, in order to “free” women from their history of sexual experiences in the past. These surgeries are not even approved by the Korean medical association because they are based on myths and efforts at re-education are being made.
Many girls want to carry out hymen repair surgery, while most of the girls are already in aborted love, they gave their precious virginity. Now the love breaks up, but life shall be continuing, so they choose hymen repair surgery. Hospital staffs all respect the privacy of the patients and never take the initiative to ask. However, in order to happy life in the future, they have to do the surgery, but after the surgery, they have good mood as they could start a new love.
