Are Humans The Only Animals With Hymen

Within human culture, the hymen has great significance for its perceived correlation to female sexual condition.  For many cultures, the presence of an intact hymen before marriage suggests purity and cleanliness.  Outside of weddings and marriage, hymens have besides had cultural relevance as the discussion "hysteria" is derived from womb-fury, which was associated with the hymen*.  Over time, the role of the hymen within culture has changed from being a cause of madness to, in more than scientifically-minded societies, being seen as a biological role of the human being female body.  And and then, too, with these shifting perceptions, the human comprehension of the hymen has inverse as well.  Even though cultural perspectives on the presence and function of the hymen have changed, little is understood in which circumstances the hymen may accept been sexually selected.  Some scholars posit cultural practices equally a method for selection, while others advise a more morphologically related caption based on evolutionary responses to the surround.  It is thought that because the hymen offers a bulwark of protection in the external vaginal opening, through evolving human cultural practices, it enhances a woman's individual fitness.  The sexual selection of the man hymen is related to hygienic purposes in order to reduce infertility and has been supported indirectly through cultural practices.

Hymen: the stigmatized tissue

Amid the many tissues within the man body, few are more than stigmatized than the hymen.  This is largely in part due to the human cultural perceptions of the hymen equally a measure of sexual status.  And while the hymen is well known for the cultural perceptions, few are aware of the bodily anatomical and physiological aspects.  Commonly misconceived as a part of the internal vaginal canal, in reality, the hymen is not within of the vagina at all.  The hymen is a membrane-similar tissue which is considered function of the external genitalia, whereas the internal vaginal orifice is partly covered by the labia majora.  Although hymens are only present in the female sex, at that place are variations of the types that may naturally occur.  Hymen morphological variation can range from crescent-shaped, ring-shaped, folded upon itself, banded across the opening, holed, or, without an opening within the hymen at all.  Such cases are considered "imperforated hymens" and only occur in 1 in 2,000 females (Kurman 2002).  Variation exists in the types present inside females and in the evolutionary morphology of its presence.

Although debated by scholars, it is thought some man females are not the only ones to exist lacking a hymen.  Throughout the Primate order, only 2 living species (other than humans) are known to have hymens: lemurs and chimpanzees (Cold & McGrath 1999).  It is unclear what circumstances may have lead to the evolutionary reversion for the hymen to reappear considering tissues tend to not preserve in the fossil tape.  In addition, we practice not have clear physical show to distinguish whether the hymen is a retained ancestral trait, or information technology arose three times within lemurs, chimpanzees, and humans equally a homoplasy.  Still, there are multiple theories which support the thought of the hymen as a retained ancestral trait in response to ecological conditions where information technology would accept been benign to retain a tissue on the external ballocks.

The Evolutionary Theories

An aquatic ape? (Photograph by: Barry Banal via DailyMail)

1 of the methods scholars posit equally a reason for the hymen to exist selected for is in relation to our evolutionary history.  In one of the more contested human evolutionary theories, the aquatic ape theory, it is idea the hymen was selected for equally a response to the ecological conditions in which hominid ancestors were living.  In this theory, hominids spent a substantial amount of time in waters due to competition for food resources (Hardy 1960).  Over fourth dimension, the hominid ancestors waded further into waters, every bit competition grew less fierce.  In society to support this claim, Hardy draws on the loss of hair from hominoid ancestors to nowadays modern human every bit evidence by paralleling them to numerous other aquatic mammals that tend to lack hair.  In add-on to the hair loss, the presence of the hymen was thought to be an adaptation to the new aquatic environs.

Within the new habitat, hominids were more at risk to microbes rarely encountered on land.  Morgan hypothesizes that the hymen evolved as an independent adaptation to avoid vaginal infections caused past microbes within the aquatic environs (Morgan 1972).  As hominids walked upright more frequently within the aquatic habitat, the likelihood of contracting vaginal infections increased.  These vaginal infections were considered to cause infertility and as a result, reduce reproductive success (Hobday et al. 1997).  Therefore, females that possessed these tissues to ward off infections were more than likely to be reproductively successful and laissez passer on the adaptation to offspring.  After enough fourth dimension passed, the tissue remained in hominids every bit an apomorphy.

While this is possible, many scholars refute the possibility of the aquatic ape theory.  In direct reference to the hymen, the aquatic ape theory fails to take into account the fact the hymen merely offers limited protection for the vagina due to the fact it does non cover the entirety of the genitals.  In defense of the aquatic ape theory, some scholars believe that even partial coverage is more beneficial than none at all (Morgan 1972).  Nevertheless, this does not take into account the likelihood in which these infections would persist in female populations.  Furthermore, this theory too does not recognize the probability of the hymen tearing from sexual intercourse or other methods, thus, further reducing the chances in which the hymen would offer protection.  Therefore, evidence seems to deviate from the role of the aquatic ape theory's ecological option.

Another alternative suggests a different source for the hymen's role.  In a more recent hypothesis, Hobday et al. postulate that the hymen is an embryological structure (leftover from the conjunction of the sino-vaginal bulb and muellerian ducts) retained into juvenility just also serving equally a barrier against infectious microbes (1997; Raveenthiran 2009).  As humans tend to be more than altricial and weaker at birth than other primate ancestors, the necessity for having further protection was naturally selected for into childhood and adolescence.  Although it has still to be determined, given the alter to an upright posture and a reduction into the size of the birth canal, it is not probable the function of the human hymen is necessarily the same equally the i in lemurs and chimpanzees (Hobday et al. 1997).  Currently, information technology is unclear when this trait may accept evolved, as it is unlikely to be a trait shared with chimpanzees given the morphological changes from chimpanzees to humans.  In this context, this suggests the thought that the hymen evolved three times.  The hymen in Hobday'south exaptation theory serves as a homoplasy, and it is postulated this evolutionary adaptation may have benefitted humans for more hygienic reasons, which may not have been necessary in primate ancestors.

A pair of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) grooming. (Photo by: Mike Powles via ARKive.org)

Particularly because homo infants are altricial at birth and unable to groom themselves, hygiene is an important gene when considering the wellness of an infant.  Fifty-fifty though it is possible for the mother to groom, it is incommunicable for her to remove microscopic foreign infectious agents from the vaginal area.  Having a membrane-like tissue to prevent strange materials, such as fecal affair and other such substances, would provide protection to infants during this vulnerable fourth dimension (Hobday et al. 1997).  Furthermore, it is assumed that this would be naturally selected for, as variations of hymens exist.  Thus, hymens that offering more protection would exist more likely to pass on their genes to offspring, as fewer infections would occur in the very young, leading to fewer cases of infertility.

The phenotypic variation expressed in hymens tin can provide scholars greater insight into the legitimacy of claims in that the hymen might reduce infertility.  One of the ways in which this hypothesis can be examined further is making the comparison between intact hymens and imperforated hymens.  While imperforated hymens are rarer in the general population, they have subsisted still.  Currently, scholars believe that the transmission of the imperforated hymen is a dominant trait (Sterling et al. 2000).  As such, the phenotypic trait would be more likely to occur in the general population over time.  The imperforated hymen tin can exist reversed through surgical intervention, simply without doing then, can lead to a significant filibuster in menarche and puberty, abdominal hurting, urinary accumulations (which may lead to infections), smegma blockage, and prevent menstrual blood from escaping; all of which, over fourth dimension, could lead to increased mortality take chances (Posner & Spandorfer 2005).  Given that the run a risk of bloodshed increases if build up of smegma and other accumulations increase over time without intervention, as imperforated hymens are a health risk, this lends credibility to hymens being a naturally selected trait.  While having as well thick of a hymen might lead to some infections, having a less thick and breakable hymen might part as a filter for infectious microbes.

This exaptation hypothesis, much like the aquatic ape theory, tends to receive criticism for its explanation of the hymen's part.  For instance, following the breaking of the hymen through loss of virginity or other physical methods, females would be likely to lose the protection from microbial agents (Maul 2007).  While this may be the case, Maul fails to take into account that it is possible for a female person to take offspring after the first sexual intercourse assuming she has reached menarche.  If she is able to have feasible offspring from her first sexual run into, information technology is non equally critical for her body to ward off against infections.  Her female offspring would also exist likely to conduct the trait of having a hymen which would offer the same protections.  Furthermore, Maul also does not recognize the fact that adolescents would be sometime enough to begin to make clean the vagina on their own, thus, offer another source of defense against microbial infections.

The other substantial criticism of Hobday et al.'s hymen exaptation hypothesis is that the hymen is not necessarily a beneficial trait when because sexual selection pressures.  If the hymen is selected to be occlusive, it may cause difficulty for the first intercourse and subsequent coituses if the hymen is too obstructive to be penetrated (Cox 1995).  In the example intercourse provides to be a difficult and painful experience for both individuals, intercourse might occur less frequently.  Therefore, the chances of passing on the phenotype of an occlusive hymen are reduced in this situation.   This criticism is weak, at best, equally information technology does not regard the fact it reduces reproductive fettle equally females are less likely to have intercourse due to painful coitus; thus, limiting the number of offspring produced.  In addition, information technology besides fails to take into business relationship the significance of human cultural values on virginity and the condition of the hymen.

The Cultural Experience

Across multiple homo cultures and societies, the presence of the hymen is an of import trait within women.  For centuries, within diverse mythologies and religions, cultural practices, and man perceptions, the hymen has had a significant role in the female condition.  In one of the more than notorious examples, the Islamic ideology of men receiving 72 virgins in the wake of suicide-killings is compelling enough to shift the incentive from living to the desire for death (Franck et al. 2005).  Equally the 72 virgins symbolize indefinite personal proceeds, the loss of life becomes inconsequential equally the time to come gain of these women with nowadays hymens outweighs the electric current experience of life.  On the reverse, while these men gain incentive to have their lives for the women with virginal condition, women who have been found to lose their virginal status prior to marriage are sometimes forced into these suicide-killing situations as a way of restoring honor to their families (Franck et al. 2005).  In this ideology, men, regardless of having virginal status or not, are rewarded with women who maintain virginity, whereas, females are punished with decease for non retaining theirs.  Although this instance is extreme, highly rare within the modernistic world, and exists within an oppressive, patriarchic paradigm, it highlights the significance of the presence of the intact hymen within a human lodge every bit a form of sexual selection force per unit area.

Throughout human being history, the intact hymen has been regarded with reverence and general positivity.  Many scholars back up the idea of the human hymen been sexually selected via cultural methods for its symbolic importance in patrilineal societies.  Past having a partner who has an intact hymen, it is thought males can be certain of a female partner's sexual history (Hobday et al. 1997).  Therefore, in the case of females becoming pregnant afterward first coitus, males can exist more than certain of their paternity in offspring.  Conversely, this may serve every bit an indirect class of mate guarding as tearing the hymen might serve as a method of making females less attractive to other males, due to the uncertainty of paternity in whatsoever potential offspring (Osculation 2006).  In situations such as these where the intact hymen and virginal status are preferred traits, it is likely the hymen is a sexually selected attribute.

In some cultures, cherry-red pie is a very big deal. Information technology's like a cool drink of water, or a sweetness surprise.

Indirectly within multiple human cultures, the hymen may have been sexually selected as a trait which contributes to a female person's hygiene, but also equally a valuable characteristic in alluring a mate.  Sexual selection is divers as differential mating success among individuals inside a population (Panhuis et al. 2001).  As such, it is possible the hymen can serve as a sexually selected characteristic among females. Typically, sexual option is expressed in males, merely the presence of an intact hymen tin serve as an unintentional course of intrasexual competition between females.  Given that it might be more probable for men to choose virgin women every bit mates due to potentially being able to ascertain paternity status in offspring, the intact hymen might go far more likely for a female to exist chosen as a mate (Maul 2007).  Women who are chosen equally mates are besides thought to be more likely to accept better access to resources that may increment individual fettle as she would have to spend less energy on procuring resource for herself.  It must be noted, however, these factors are dependent upon the male preference for the intact hymen and perceived associated virginal status.

Although it is commonly thought to exist the case that the tearing of the hymen equates to a loss of virgin status, new prove has come forth to suggest otherwise. In recent years, information has come forth to suggest the presence of an intact hymen is no longer an entirely accurate depiction of virginal status.  Among 1 of the many claims, a recent report linked 52% of a group of boyish girls having an intact, non-disrupted hymen after start sexual intercourse (Adams et al. 2004).  This finding suggests not just is it necessarily true the intact hymen correlates with a lack of previous sexual history, but fifty-fifty possibly a beneficial aspect for an intact hymen to be after sexual intercourse.  For case, in the Yungar society of Australia, some women were brutally tortured, starved, and killed regularly if they lacked an intact hymen previous to wedlock (Hobday et al. 1997).  Accordingly, in some social contexts, having a more elasticized hymen to withstand penetration and violent might be beneficial.  The presence of an intact hymen to persist may serve as a bespeak to males that she retains her chastity; thus, being able to proceed living without stigmatization or persecution.  As the hymen is still revered and of import inside some societies around the world equally a point of paternity certainty, other societies identify less importance as evidence comes to calorie-free to suggest otherwise.

In addition to the fact in which having an intact hymen is no longer necessarily indicative of virginal status, recent technology has fabricated it even more difficult to distinguish sexually active condition.  Through technological advancements have been fabricated in feminine hygiene products, the employ of tampons may actually be likely to tear the hymen as well as speculum examinations past gynecologists (Rogers & Stark 1998).  Occurrences such as these are frequent in the westernized world, equally many menstruating females tin can afford hygiene products.  However, in areas of the world where females take limited access to hygiene products and routine gynecological examinations, this miracle is rarer (Farage et al. 2011).  Contempo surgical advances take too made it possible for some women to reconstruct the intact hymen, further adding to the complications of discerning sexually active females.

Surgeries which restore the intact hymen are often referred to as hymenorrhaphy or a hymenoplasty.  In a hymenoplasty, the remnants of a torn hymen are stretched and stitched to the vaginal orifice (Prakash 2009).  Inside the surgery, the hymen is stretched out and substantially recreated from pre-existing tissue.  In many countries, women will go to great lengths to get their hymen repaired to former status for reasons from fear of beingness idea of as unchaste (which might result in any consequence ranging from divorce to death) to corrective reasons to maintain a sexual partner's happiness (Prakash 2009).  Simply in the context of sexual selection, the hymenoplasty could be considered as a deceptive point.  Much like the elasticized hymen which fails to tear fifty-fifty after sexual intercourse, the hymenoplasty tin also serve every bit an indication to others that the female retains her virginal status.   The signal sent from this procedure can exist used to deceive males into choosing a female every bit a mate, thus, serving as a strategy to outcompete other females without the presence of a hymen.

Though the office of the hymen is even so widely debated among scholars, its presence can serve as a sexually selected trait that increases fitness in females.  Females that live in cultures where males requite preference to females with an intact hymen and perceived virginal status oft receive benefits of better admission to resource.  In addition, it is hypothesized that these females are more likely to be reproductively successful for reasons related to an evolutionary office in which the hymen served equally a bulwark, preventing infectious microbes from entering the vaginal orifice.  Therefore, females with an intact hymen until first coitus were thought to avoid infections which may accept lead to infertility. As such, it was beneficial to choose women as mates who retained an intact hymen.  Despite recent studies suggesting the hymen is less elastic than previously thought, the importance of the hymen still remains in sure cultures around the world and however continues to thrive as a sexually selected trait.

Note: * = Initially, I was under the impression the term hysteria was linked to the hymen as it was one time believed the hymen was part of the uterus. Not entirely true, however, hymens are linked to hysteria through the perceived womb fury. (More information on this can exist found here)

References

Adams, J.A., Botash, A.S., & Kellogg, Due north. (2004). Differences in hymenal morphology between adolescent girls with and without a history of consensual sexual intercourse. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 158(3): 280-285.

Buss, D.1000. (2006). Strategies of human being mating. Psych Topics, two: 239-260.

Cold, C.J. & McGrath, K.A. (1999). Anatomy and Histology of the Penile and Clitoral Prepuce in Primates.  In Denniston, G.C., Hodges, F.M., & Milos Yard.F. (Eds.), Male and Female Circumcision, (pp. ane-eight), New York: Plenum Publishers.

Cox, 1000. (1995). De Virginibus Puerisque: the function of the human foreskin considered from an evolutionary perspective. Med Hypoth, 45: 617-621.

Farage, Thou.A., Miller, K.W., & Davis, A. (2011). Cultural aspects of menstruum and menstrual hygiene in adolescents. Exp Rev Obst Gyn, half dozen(2): 127-139.

Franck, R., Hillman, A.L., & Krausz, M. (2005). Public safety and the moral dilemma in the defence force against terror. Def and Peace Econ, 16(5): 347-364.

Hardy, A. (17 March 1960). Was Homo more aquatic in the past? New Scientist, 642-645.

Hobday, A.J., Haury, 50., & Dayton, P.Grand. (1997). Function of the human hymen. Medical Hypotheses, 49, 171-173

Kurman, R.J. (2002). Blaustein's Pathology of the Female Genital Tract (5^thursday edition). New York: Springer-Verlag, 160.

Maul, A. (2007). An evolutionary interpretation of the significance of physical pain experienced past human females: defloration and childbirth pains. Med Hypoth, 69(2): 403-409.

Morgan, E. (1972). The Descent of Adult female. New York: Stein and 24-hour interval.

Panhuis, T.M., Butlin, R., Zuk, M., & Tregenza, T. (2001). Sexual selection and speciation. Trends Ecol Evol, xvi(7): 364-371.

Posner, J.C. & Spandorfer, P.R. (2005). Early detection of imperforate hymen prevents morbidity from delays in diagnosis. Pediatrics, 115(four): 1008-1012.

Prakash, 5. (2009). Hymenoplasty—how to do. Indian J Surg, 71: 221-223.

Raveenthiran, V. (2009). Surgery of the hymen: from myth to modernization. Indian J Surg, 71: 224-226.

Rogers, D.J. & Stark, M. (1998). The hymen is not necessarily torn after sexual intercourse. Brit Med J, 317(7155): 414.

Sterling, J.R., Grayness, M.R., Davis, A.J., Cowan, J.One thousand., & Reindollar, R.H. (2000). Dominant transmission of imperforate hymen. Fert Steril, 74(6): 1241-1244.

Source: https://seriousmonkeybusiness.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/the-curious-case-of-the-present-hymen/

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