The prepubertal hymen

Introduction

Not so long ago, some doctors believed that they could determine, on the basis of examination of a girl's genitals, whether or not the girl had engaged in sexual intercourse. Even today, 'virginity checks' are conducted by doctors in some countries. Some Australian doctors still believe that it should be possible to determine, on the basis of examination findings, whether a child has been sexually abused. This article sets out to describe some of the common variations in hymenal anatomy in order to dispel myths and misperceptions surrounding genital examination findings in young girls.