Virginity

Def: it means a woman who has not experienced the

sexual intercourse.

Defloration

Def: means loss of virginity i.e., a woman who has

experienced a sexual intercourse at least for once.
- Virginity & defloration are related to each other and
have legal importance.
- Medicolegal importance:
1. Nullity of marriage or divorce: virginity after
marriage accounts for nullity of marriage and
divorce.
2. Rape: deflorarion of virgin girl or unmarried girl.
3. Defamation
4. Fabricated charge of rape.
• Signs of virginity in female:
1. Genital findings:
a. Hymen: hymen is wall like flap of thin tissue placed
anteriorly to the vaginal orifice. It is 1mm thick.
- A virgin girl has intact hymen.
- Hymen has difference shapes & appearance:
1. Annular & situated centrally.
2. Semilunar & placed anteriorly.
3. Septate with two openings separated by septum of
hymen tissue.
4. Cribriform with multiple opening.
5. Hymen with elongated vertical opening.
6. Imperforate without any opening for vagina.
7. Infantile with very small opening.
- In virgins, the hymen may be ruptured or absent
due to surgical interference, ulceration, scratching
due to chronic itching, disease like diptheria, regular
use of sanitary napkins, deliberate rupture to make
a girl fit for illegal intercourse for immoral purposes
like prostitution and accidental injuries.
- Masturbation should not cause rupture of hymen as
it is superficial manipulation.
- An unruptured hymen in young girls should not
allow entrance of any finger except little finger.
- Fimbriated hymen with irregular margins should not
be confused with ruptured hymen.
b) Fourchette:
- It is the lower meeting point of both labia minoras.
- It may gets rupture during first act of intercourse
and heals with thick irregular line.
c) Fossa navicularis:
- It is the depression between the fourchette 7
vaginal opening. its normally found in virgins and
changes its appearance in deflorated woman.
d) Labia minora:
- These are pinkish, smaller & mostly covered by
- Labia majora in virgins.
e) Labia majora:
- These are firm & fleshy & lies in close apposition in
virgins.
f) Vaginal wall:
- Vaginal walls in virgin women have rugosity and it is
not capacious in them.
g) vestibule:
- The space between labia minora and above vaginal
opening is vestibule and is narrow in virgins.
2. Extra genital signs of virginity:
a) breasts:
- They are hemisphere and firm with small pinkish
areola & small nipples.
b) All signs of pregnancy some of which are
permanent are signs of loss of virginity, except the
pregnancy results of artificial insemination or in
vitro fertilisation.

• False virgin:
- False virgin is a woman who has lost virginity but
does not show signs of defloration.
- It means a woman retains the signs of virginity.
- The hymen may remain intact even after multiple coitus
with the reason that the hymen is thick, tough, fleshy,
elastic & loose.

• Signs of defloration in woman:

1. Genital findins:
a) Hymen:
- In deflorated woman it is usually ruptured. During the
first intercourse, the rupture usually occurs posteriorly
at 5,7 or 6’ O clock position.
- In habitual intercourse there are multiple ruptures of
hymen with presence of tags of hymen tissue on
margins gives appearance of ‘ carunculae hymenalis’.
- After pregnancy & delivery the hymen is almost
absent with presence of its remnant near marginal
attachment as irregular thick area known as
‘carunculae myrtiformis’.
- In deflorated woman, the hymen may remain intact
when 1. subject is young, 2. when hymen is thick,
fleshy, elastic & loose.
b) Fourchette:
- There is rupture of fourchette followed by healing
by thick irregular lines.
- Changes in the fossa navicilaris, labia majora, labia
minora, vaginal wall, vestibule & clitoris occurs only
after several acts of intercourse.
c) Fossa navicularis:
- There is change in appearance of it in woman with
frequent intercourse.
d) Labia minora:
- These are enlarged, partly darkly pigmented &
project much outside the labia majora in woman
with frequent coitus.
e) Labia majora:
- These are lax, not in close apposition, have rather a
gap in between the two sides in deflorated woman.
f) vestibules:
- It becomes spacious with appearance of folds due to
g) Vaginal wall:
- With frequent intercourse the rugosity is minimised
& vagina becomes more spacious.
2. Extra genital signs of defloration:
a) breasts:
- With defloration and habituated frequent
intercourse, the breasts are enlarged, loses
firmness and may be slightly pendulous. The
nipples will be large and raised.
b) All signs of pregnancy are signs of loss of virginity.
Points True virginity Defloration

Basic difference No experience of sexual Have experienced sexual

intercourse intercourse

Hymen Usually intact Usually ruptured. Except false

virgin

Introitus Does not admit more than tip May admit 2 fingers, painless
of finger & painful

Vagina 1. Marked rugosity of wall 1. Rugosity diminishes

2. Full length of finger cannot 2. Full length if fingers are
be admitted admitted.
Fossa navicularis Less conspicuous More conspicuous after
repeated intercourse

Fourchette intact May show healed tears

Labia minora Small, pinkish, covered by Enlarged, partly pigmented &

labia majora protrudes through labia
majora
Labia majora Thick, fleshy, both majora are Less fleshy, slighly absorbed,
in close apposition both are not in full apposition

breasts Variable in size, firm, Size variable, flabby,

hemispherical with pink, small pendulous with wide areola &
areola and small nipple large raised nipples