A girl who has never had sexual intercourse (a virgin) is supposed to have her hymen intact. In many societies, a girl’s virginity until marriage is considered a great virtue. For a girl who possesses such chastity, getting married becomes easy.

The hymen is a fleshy, thin membrane, which partially closes the mouth (entrance) of the vagina. It has a central opening, which may be rounded or elongated. Usually a finger can be introduced through the opening without breaking the hymen. This opening is necessary in order to let out the menstrual flow from uterus.

Sexual problems, irrespective of the causative factors, frequently cause serious psychological problems such as hostility between the marital partners and even complete breakdown of the marriage itself.

When the girl has sexual intercourse, the hymen is stretched and ruptured by the erect penis. This may be accompanied by some discomfort and bleeding. Apart from sexual intercourse the following also can cause rupture to the hymen:

1. An accident or injury, such as falling astride on a projecting substance, trying to climb over a fence and tripping
2. Sports activities like horse riding, bicycling, playing seesaw, high jump, and hurdles and activities like dancing
3. Masturbation, especially when indulged with a large foreign body like candlestick or vibrator
4. Introduction of instruments by doctors during examination or surgical operation
5. Faulty technique while douching (cleaning) the vagina. The rubber or plastic tube introduced into the vagina to let in the douching solution can lead to hymen rupture.

It now becomes clear to us that a girl with the ruptured hymen is not necessarily unchaste.