What is the function of the hymen?

Question

I don't understand. From the evolution standpoint, what is the function of the hymen? For what purpose does nature keep this particular feature of the body? Isn't it true that nature does not create something it doesn't need? Or rather, it doesn't KEEP what it doesn't need? Our bodies have long discarded the tail bone, so why keep the hymen? Nature has an inherent moral sentinel? what?

Answer 1

Function of hymen

The hymen is found as a perforated or septate membranous ring around the vaginal opening or may be found blocking the opening. The hymen basically has no anatomical function in the human body. However, there is an age-old tradition that the intact hymen is proof of virginity in the woman. However, modern science now knows that this is an erroneous fact

Answer 2

More likely it is just another part of a changing body. A child doesn't need to have intercourse so theres no need for access to the reproductive organs. I am not sure if the barrier itself decreases in thickness as a woman approaches sexual maturity, but I'd imagine so.

On another note "Nature" produces many things it doesn't need. but if there are no ill effects to the organism no harm no foul. Evolution via natural selection is a very messy way to do business. But the majority of the changes do not adversely effect the organism and so the genes are kept (via reproduction). Obviously if baby rabbits were born with glow-in-the-dark fur, that would be a hindrance to that species survival, and the genes wouldn't last that long. But if the main predator of baby rabbits only hunted in the daylight hours having light-up fur would not be that big of a hindrance.

Answer 3

maybe we should question evolution.. God forbid that.. oh wait..

Answer 4

It might be beneficial to look at this question in a slightly different manner.

Nature doesn't look at whether or not a feature is useful or needed, really.  Whether or not a feature, such as the hymen, persists through time relies more on if there is a reproductive hindrance to keeping the trait.  Does having a hymen make a woman less likely to reproduce and have children?  No.  Since there's no reason to select AGAINST women with hymens, the trait persists through generations.  Also, reports differ but say that either all or mostly all women are born with hymens, so evolutionarily it would be very difficult for the trait to die out in the short term, since most if not all available reproductively capable women have inherited the trait.

So it's not a question of why nature keeps the trait.  It's there, there's nothing wrong with having one, so there's no reason to select against women who have one.  There are other traits we have which seem to serve no purpose.  The appendix could be seen as one.  Many people argue that the appendix is a vestigial structure -- it serves no purpose.  There are some people who don't ever form one during development and suffer no ill effects from not having it.  So why do most of us still have one?  We don't need it, but there's no evolutionary reason to select against people who have one, so it persists.

Also, unless I'm mistaking what you mean, humans do still have a tailbone.  The coccyx - the last bone segment of the spine, composed of 3-5 fused vertebrae.

I'm not sure if you'd be interested to know, but humans are not the only species to have hymen.  Horses, cats, chimpanzees, some whales, rats, and many other species have them, too.

Answer 5

Protection for the womb?  To keep bacteria or foreign objects out?

Answer 6

I believe it is a greeting of some sort to your fellow workers in the UK, but I don't think it is followed by a ?mark

Answer 7

Possibly a development by women, over the ages forced to procreate with unattractive males.

I imagine the thought of having s*x with a large percentage of males, around the world, was a serious challenge for most women.

Evolution has a way of correcting the species to make survival more possible and the hymen has most likely played a significant role in this process.

Of course, the typical female of the species was careful not to let on to the male that:

it twasn't all HIM !

Actually, I was thinking of the clitoris...lol

The hymen was an invention of inadequate males living in fear that their chosen might seek actual satisfaction...elsewhere.  lol

Answer 8

Jill S has the answer.

Answer 9

Honestly, I have wondered about this before but I have no clue...

Maybe it serves a slight hygenic purpose??

Just a guess.