0:00:00.751,0:00:02.770
Nina Dølvik Brochmann:[br]We grew up believing

0:00:02.794,0:00:05.947
that the hymen is a proof of virginity.

0:00:07.358,0:00:09.227
But it turns out, we were wrong.

0:00:10.060,0:00:11.465
What we discovered

0:00:11.489,0:00:15.720
is that the popular story we're told[br]about female virginity

0:00:16.208,0:00:19.740
is based on two anatomical myths.

0:00:21.374,0:00:25.668
The truth has been known[br]in medical communities for over 100 years,

0:00:26.251,0:00:32.322
yet somehow these two myths[br]continue to make life difficult

0:00:32.346,0:00:34.262
for women around the world.

0:00:35.714,0:00:38.814
Ellen Støkken Dahl:[br]The first myth is about blood.

0:00:39.457,0:00:43.139
It tells us that the hymen[br]breaks and bleeds

0:00:43.163,0:00:46.268
the first time a woman has vaginal sex.

0:00:47.040,0:00:50.734
In other words, if there is no blood[br]on the sheets afterwards,

0:00:50.758,0:00:53.639
then the woman was simply not a virgin.

0:00:54.959,0:00:59.135
The second myth is a logical[br]consequence of the first.

0:00:59.861,0:01:03.535
Since the hymen is thought[br]to break and bleed,

0:01:03.559,0:01:07.266
people also believe[br]that it actually disappears

0:01:07.290,0:01:12.885
or is in some way radically altered[br]during a woman's first intercourse.

0:01:14.037,0:01:15.621
If that were true,

0:01:16.216,0:01:21.969
one would easily be able to determine[br]if a woman is a virgin or not

0:01:21.993,0:01:24.152
by examining her genitals,

0:01:24.176,0:01:26.748
by doing a virginity check.

0:01:28.290,0:01:30.094
NDB: So that's our two myths:

0:01:30.118,0:01:31.765
virgins bleed,

0:01:31.789,0:01:33.999
and hymens are lost forever.

0:01:35.301,0:01:38.460
Now, this may sound[br]like a minor issue to you.

0:01:38.484,0:01:40.080
Why should you care

0:01:40.104,0:01:44.541
about an obscure little skin fold[br]on the female body?

0:01:45.823,0:01:49.028
But the truth is,[br]this is about so much more

0:01:49.052,0:01:51.893
than an anatomical misunderstanding.

0:01:53.186,0:01:57.166
The myths about the hymen[br]have lived on for centuries

0:01:57.190,0:01:59.578
because they have cultural significance.

0:02:00.536,0:02:03.450
They have been used as a powerful tool

0:02:03.474,0:02:06.687
in the effort to control women's sexuality

0:02:06.711,0:02:11.254
in about every culture,[br]religion and historical decade.

0:02:12.705,0:02:15.560
Women are still mistrusted,

0:02:16.049,0:02:17.409
shamed,

0:02:17.433,0:02:18.602
harmed

0:02:18.626,0:02:22.123
and, in the worst cases,[br]subjected to honor killings

0:02:22.147,0:02:25.004
if they don't bleed[br]on their wedding night.

0:02:26.488,0:02:31.146
Other women are forced[br]through degrading virginity checks,

0:02:31.170,0:02:34.051
simply to obtain a job,

0:02:34.592,0:02:36.600
to save their reputation

0:02:36.624,0:02:38.074
or to get married.

0:02:39.367,0:02:41.280
ESD: Like in Indonesia,

0:02:41.304,0:02:46.242
where women are systematically examined[br]to enter military service.

0:02:47.336,0:02:50.923
After the Egyptian uprisings in 2011,

0:02:50.947,0:02:56.227
a group of female protesters were forced[br]to undergo virginity checks

0:02:56.251,0:02:57.673
by their military.

0:02:58.936,0:03:03.879
In Oslo, doctors are examining[br]the hymens of young girls

0:03:03.903,0:03:08.016
to reassure parents[br]that their children are not ruined.

0:03:08.625,0:03:11.276
And sadly, the list goes on.

0:03:12.533,0:03:17.826
Women are so afraid not to live up to[br]the myths about the hymen

0:03:17.850,0:03:22.308
that they choose to use[br]different virginity quick fixes

0:03:22.332,0:03:23.925
to assure a bleeding.

0:03:24.952,0:03:26.856
That could be plastic surgery,

0:03:26.880,0:03:28.579
known as "revirgination,"

0:03:28.968,0:03:32.473
it could be vials of blood[br]poured on the sheets after sex

0:03:32.887,0:03:36.208
or fake hymens bought online,

0:03:36.232,0:03:38.065
complete with theater blood

0:03:38.089,0:03:42.571
and a promise to "kiss your deep,[br]dark secret goodbye."

0:03:46.438,0:03:50.798
NDB: By telling girls[br]that no deed can be kept secret,

0:03:51.555,0:03:55.192
that their bodies[br]will reveal them no matter what,

0:03:55.905,0:03:58.557
we have endowed them with fear.

0:04:00.070,0:04:02.957
Girls are afraid of ruining themselves,

0:04:02.981,0:04:04.765
either through sport,

0:04:04.789,0:04:05.940
play,

0:04:05.964,0:04:07.115
tampon use,

0:04:07.139,0:04:08.441
or a sexual activity.

0:04:09.656,0:04:13.229
We have curtailed their opportunities[br]and their freedoms.

0:04:14.213,0:04:17.698
It's time we put an end[br]to the virginity fraud.

0:04:18.282,0:04:21.253
It's time we break the myths[br]about the hymen

0:04:21.277,0:04:22.902
once and for all.

0:04:24.267,0:04:26.364
ESD: We are medical students,

0:04:26.388,0:04:28.256
sexual health workers

0:04:28.280,0:04:31.780
and the authors[br]of "The Wonder Down Under."

0:04:31.804,0:04:33.070
(Laughter)

0:04:33.598,0:04:37.259
That's a popular science book[br]about the female genitals.

0:04:37.852,0:04:40.692
And in our experience,[br]people seem to believe

0:04:40.716,0:04:45.216
that the hymen is some kind of a seal[br]covering the vaginal opening.

0:04:46.161,0:04:49.987
In Norwegian, it is even called[br]"the virgin membrane."

0:04:50.376,0:04:53.385
And with this,[br]we picture something fragile,

0:04:53.409,0:04:56.240
something easily destructible,

0:04:56.264,0:04:58.087
something you can rip through,

0:04:58.738,0:05:01.974
perhaps like a sheet of plastic wrapping.

0:05:03.045,0:05:06.830
You may have wondered[br]why we brought a Hula-Hoop onstage today.

0:05:07.838,0:05:08.993
We'll show you.

0:05:11.466,0:05:12.715
(Laughter)

0:05:15.096,0:05:17.950
Now, it is very hard to hide

0:05:17.974,0:05:20.397
that something has happened[br]to this hoop, right?

0:05:21.442,0:05:24.644
It is different[br]before and after I punched it.

0:05:25.035,0:05:27.010
The seal is broken,

0:05:27.586,0:05:29.345
and unless we change the plastic,

0:05:29.369,0:05:31.489
it won't get back to its intact state.

0:05:32.677,0:05:36.958
So if we wanted to do a virginity check[br]on this hoop right here,

0:05:36.982,0:05:38.242
right now,

0:05:38.266,0:05:39.960
that would be very easy.

0:05:40.827,0:05:46.295
It's easy to say that this hoop[br]is not a virgin anymore.

0:05:47.244,0:05:48.520
(Laughter)

0:05:49.184,0:05:52.605
NDB: But the hymen[br]is nothing like a piece of plastic

0:05:52.629,0:05:54.635
you can wrap around your food,

0:05:54.659,0:05:55.809
or a seal.

0:05:56.456,0:05:57.656
In fact ...

0:06:00.435,0:06:02.006
it's more like this --

0:06:02.609,0:06:05.011
a scrunchie or a rubber band.

0:06:06.437,0:06:11.481
The hymen is a rim of tissue[br]at the outer opening of the vagina.

0:06:12.103,0:06:15.942
And usually, it has a doughnut[br]or a half-moon shape

0:06:16.422,0:06:18.576
with a large, central hole.

0:06:19.855,0:06:21.307
But this varies a lot,

0:06:21.331,0:06:24.767
and sometimes hymens can have fringes,

0:06:24.791,0:06:26.627
it can have several holes,

0:06:27.182,0:06:29.667
or it can consist of lobes.

0:06:30.696,0:06:35.469
In other words, hymens[br]naturally vary a lot in looks,

0:06:35.493,0:06:39.810
and that is what makes it so hard[br]to do a virginity check.

0:06:41.614,0:06:45.154
ESD: Now that we know a bit more[br]about the hymen's anatomy,

0:06:45.178,0:06:47.640
it's time to get back to our two myths:

0:06:48.240,0:06:49.769
virgins bleed,

0:06:49.793,0:06:52.196
hymens are lost forever.

0:06:53.224,0:06:57.015
But the hymen doesn't[br]have to break at all.

0:06:57.685,0:07:02.500
The hymen is like a scrunchie[br]in function as well as in looks.

0:07:03.165,0:07:05.667
And you can stretch a scrunchie, right?

0:07:06.811,0:07:07.961
(Laughter)

0:07:08.446,0:07:10.611
You can stretch a hymen, too.

0:07:11.673,0:07:14.653
In fact, it's very elastic.

0:07:16.467,0:07:17.921
And for a lot of women,

0:07:17.945,0:07:22.593
the hymen will be elastic enough[br]to handle a vaginal intercourse

0:07:22.617,0:07:25.124
without sustaining any damage.

0:07:27.051,0:07:32.076
For other women, the hymen may tear a bit[br]to make room for the penis,

0:07:32.752,0:07:34.749
but that won't make it disappear.

0:07:35.262,0:07:37.872
But it may look[br]a bit different from before.

0:07:42.785,0:07:45.387
NDB: So where does that leave us[br]with our two myths?

0:07:46.017,0:07:47.601
Well, first of all,

0:07:48.129,0:07:50.733
if you have an elastic hymen,

0:07:51.342,0:07:53.821
you will simply never bleed from sex.

0:07:55.027,0:07:57.813
It doesn't matter[br]if you're a virgin or not.

0:07:58.310,0:08:01.601
It's an anatomical impossibility.

0:08:02.177,0:08:05.531
And that is the case for half of you --

0:08:06.305,0:08:08.784
except for the men amongst you, of course.

0:08:08.808,0:08:09.990
(Laughter)

0:08:11.211,0:08:13.080
So in other words,

0:08:13.104,0:08:15.010
some virgins bleed,

0:08:15.561,0:08:17.657
but some simply don't.

0:08:18.193,0:08:20.877
And that's our first myth shattered.

0:08:22.192,0:08:25.667
It naturally follows[br]that you can't examine the hymen

0:08:25.691,0:08:27.524
to check for virginity status.

0:08:28.401,0:08:32.375
This was noted over 100 years ago in 1906

0:08:32.399,0:08:35.384
by the Norwegian doctor Marie Jeancet.

0:08:36.268,0:08:39.905
She examined a middle-aged sex worker

0:08:40.850,0:08:46.268
and concluded that her genitalia[br]were reminiscent of a teenage virgin.

0:08:47.499,0:08:49.418
But that makes sense, right?

0:08:49.442,0:08:53.582
Because if her hymen[br]was never damaged during sex,

0:08:53.606,0:08:56.311
then what were we expecting to see?

0:08:57.861,0:09:01.429
ESD: Since hymens come[br]in every shape and form,

0:09:01.934,0:09:03.326
it difficult to know

0:09:03.350,0:09:08.541
if a dent or a fold in it is there[br]because of previous damage,

0:09:08.565,0:09:11.568
or if it's just a normal[br]anatomical variant.

0:09:13.111,0:09:15.898
The absurdity of virgin testing

0:09:16.378,0:09:22.515
is illustrated in a study[br]done on 36 pregnant teenagers.

0:09:23.657,0:09:26.157
When doctors examined their hymens,

0:09:26.181,0:09:29.438
they could only find[br]clear signs of penetration

0:09:29.462,0:09:33.062
in 2 out of the 36 girls.

0:09:35.530,0:09:40.077
So unless you believe[br]in 34 cases of virgin births --

0:09:40.101,0:09:41.655
(Laughter)

0:09:42.124,0:09:43.736
we must all agree

0:09:43.760,0:09:47.979
that also our second myth[br]has taken a vital blow.

0:09:49.094,0:09:52.484
You simply cannot look a woman[br]between her legs

0:09:52.508,0:09:54.655
and read her sexual story.

0:09:59.649,0:10:04.031
NDB: Like most myths,[br]the myths about the hymen are untrue.

0:10:05.227,0:10:10.746
There is no virgin seal[br]that magically disappears after sex,

0:10:10.770,0:10:15.817
and half of virgins[br]can easily have sex without bleeding.

0:10:17.419,0:10:20.748
We wish we could say[br]that by removing these myths,

0:10:20.772,0:10:22.455
everything would be OK,

0:10:23.023,0:10:28.129
that shame, harm and honor killings[br]would all just disappear.

0:10:29.582,0:10:31.829
But of course, it's not that simple.

0:10:32.438,0:10:36.051
Sexual oppression of women[br]comes from something much deeper

0:10:36.075,0:10:41.984
than a simple anatomical misunderstanding[br]about the properties of the hymen.

0:10:43.067,0:10:48.426
It's a question of cultural and religious[br]control of women's sexuality.

0:10:48.829,0:10:51.159
And that is much harder to change.

0:10:52.039,0:10:53.565
But we must try.

0:10:55.561,0:10:59.799
ESD: As medical professionals,[br]this is our contribution.

0:11:00.850,0:11:05.373
We want every girl, parent[br]and coming husband to know

0:11:05.397,0:11:09.229
what the hymen is and how it works.

0:11:09.939,0:11:11.213
We want them to know

0:11:11.237,0:11:15.085
that the hymen can't be used[br]as a proof of virginity.

0:11:16.180,0:11:20.777
And that way, we can remove[br]one of the most powerful tools

0:11:20.801,0:11:23.268
used to control young women today.

0:11:25.509,0:11:27.440
After telling you this,

0:11:28.326,0:11:31.302
you may wonder what the alternative is,

0:11:32.570,0:11:36.841
for if we cannot use the hymen[br]as a proof of virginity for women,

0:11:37.306,0:11:38.936
then what should we use?

0:11:41.467,0:11:44.207
We opt for using nothing.

0:11:44.721,0:11:46.699
(Cheering)

0:11:46.723,0:11:47.884
If you --

0:11:47.908,0:11:51.932
(Applause)

0:11:54.162,0:11:58.242
If you really want to know[br]if a woman is a virgin or not,

0:11:58.621,0:11:59.775
ask her.

0:11:59.799,0:12:00.949
(Laughter)

0:12:01.285,0:12:05.882
But how she answers[br]that question is her choice.

0:12:07.607,0:12:08.758
Thank you.

0:12:08.782,0:12:11.150
(Applause)