Virginity, Defloration, Hymen : Medico-Legal Aspects & Sexual Jurisprudence
Definitions
- Sexual jurisprudence deals with the medicolegal aspects of virginity, impotency, sterility, artificial insemination, pregnancy, abortion, delivery, and various types of sexual offences & sexual perversions.
- Virgin (Virgo intacta): A female who has not experienced any sexual intercourse.
- Defloration: The act of depriving a woman of her virginity i.e. signifies loss of virginity.
- Hymen: It is a thin fold (about 1 mm thick) of mucous membrane situated at the vaginal introitus, derived from the posterior vaginal wall, with an anterior opening.
- False Virgin: Hymen usually gets ruptured with the first act of sexual intercourse. However in some cases hymen remains intact despite of sexual intercourse. Such condition where hymen remains intact despite of sexual intercourse is called False Virgin.
Medico-Legal Aspects
Medicolegal Importance of Virginity
Questions of virginity arises in:
- Rape
- Defamation
- Nullity of marriage
- Divorce
Medicolegal Importance of Defloration
- The diagnosis of virginity is difficult. The presence of unruptured hymen offers presumption of virginity, but is not an absolute proof.
- A false virgin may claim that she is a true virgin.
- Hymen, very rarely, is absent congenitally.
Medicolegal Importance of Hymen
Presence of intact hymen is a only presumption, but is not an absolute proof of virginity. With an intact hymen,
there can be true and false virgins.
- The features will be same for a deflorate woman and a false virgin with the exception of presence of hymen in the latter.
- After the birth of a child, hymen is completely lost and the remnants are represented by cicatrized nodules of varying sizes called the carunculae hymenales or myrtiformes. On both sides, it is lined by stratified squamous epithelium.
Disclaimer: Doctoralerts neither promote any type of sexual crime nor intend to disrespect anyone. This post is just for educational purpose considering forensic medicine as integral part of medical