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These Pictures Are For Medical Purposes Only

01. Illustrations of the hymen in various states.This shows the names

of the parts of the vulva. The rest of the illustrations do not have labels.

02. This is a perfect annular hymen. It is called annular because the

hymen forms a ring around the vaginal opening. As the hymen starts to
erode from sexual or other activity, the hymen becomes less ring-like.

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These Pictures Are For Medical Purposes Only

03. This is a crescentic, or lunar, hymen. It forms a crescent shape, like

a half moon, above or (as in this case) below the vaginal opening.

04. The hymen of a female with some sexual or masturbatory (internal)

experience is apt to look something like this. Note that it is much less
ring-like than the annular hymen.
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These Pictures Are For Medical Purposes Only

05. This is what the hymen of a female who has only had a small
amount of sexual activity or object insertion would look like. Health
professionals who examine hymens for signs of sexual abuse are
usually most interested in the posterior part of the hymen, from the 3
o'clock to 9 o'clock position. This is normally where the hymen breaks
when the vagina is first penetrated.

06. This is the vulva of a woman who has given birth. The hymen is
completely gone, or nearly so.

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These Pictures Are For Medical Purposes Only

07. One in 2000 girls is born with an imperforate hymen. Adoctor will do
surgery to create a hole in the hymen of such a newborn.

08. This is a rare cribriform hymen, characterized by many small holes.

This type of hymen lets menstrual and other fluids out with no problem,
but sexual activity and the insertion of tampons can be problematic.
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These Pictures Are For Medical Purposes Only

09. This is a rare denticular hymen, so called because it looks like a set
of teeth surrounding the vaginal opening.

10. This is a rare fimbriated hymen, with an irregular pattern around the
vaginal opening.

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These Pictures Are For Medical Purposes Only

11. This rare labial hymen looks like a third set of vulvar lips.
12.Some girls are born with only a tiny hole in their hymens. Surgery is
also necessary for these newborns to create a larger vaginal opening.

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13. This rarity is called a septate hymen because of the piece of hymen
that makes a septum, or bridge, across the vaginal opening.
14.This is the rare subseptate hymen, similar to the septate hymen
only not making a bridge all the way across. Doesn't this remind you of