How thick is the hymen?

The old idea is that the hymen is a symbol of female chastity. In particular, if the hymen of a single woman is ruptured, it is mostly a symbol of uncleanness. Therefore, protecting the hymen is one of the key research topics in women's health. The rupture of the hymen is only a part of the body. In addition to sexual intercourse, intense exercise can also easily cause the rupture of the hymen. So, how thick is the broken hymen?

The hymen is a hollow plastic film covering the outer opening of a woman's vagina, about 1 to 2 mm thick. The front and back of the membrane are moist mucous membranes. There is connective tissue, capillaries and peripheral nerves in the middle of the double layer of mucous membranes. The small round hole in the middle is called the hymen hole. The size of the hymen hole and the thickness of the membrane vary. The diameter of the hymen hole is 1 to 1.5 cm, and it is generally circular, oval or serrated; some are crescent-shaped, with the hole biased towards one side; some are septate holes, with two small round holes left and right or side by side up and down; some have many scattered small round holes, like the small round holes on a dice.

A broken hymen can prevent external unclean objects from entering the vagina and protect the vagina. Before puberty, because the uterus and ovaries secrete very little estrogen, the vaginal mucosa is thin, the walls are less wrinkled, and the acidity is low, so the resistance is poor. The broken hymen has a protective effect to prevent bacteria from invading the vagina. After puberty, with the growth and development of the uterus and ovaries, the body's estrogen increases, the resistance of the vagina is improved to a certain extent, and the broken hymen will gradually lose its function.

The hole in the hymen is a physiological necessity. After a woman is born, the menstrual blood is discharged from the body once a month through this small hole. If there is no small hole in the membrane, the menstrual blood is blocked by it and cannot be discharged from the body. This is medically called hymen occlusion. If not treated in time, menstrual blood will accumulate in the female vagina, and after years and months, it can expand upward to the uterine body and bilateral fallopian tubes, and flow into the abdomen through the distal openings of the bilateral fallopian tubes, causing damage to the bilateral fallopian tubes, intestinal adhesions, and abdominal infection.