MYTH

MYTH

“Sister Nessa,  please I want to ask you something that has been nagging me for a while."

“Okay Tessa, what is the problem?"

“Few days ago, while discussing with my friends, we came across the hymen as a topic and one of my friends said that the hymen is a sheet of tissue that blocks a woman's vagina. I had a doubt about that initially but since she's a bit older than I am, I didn't argue with her on that."

I smiled as I looked at my 14-year old kid sister and asked,“what doubts did you have about what she said?"

“Well, I doubted it because if the hymen really blocked the vagina as she said, we wouldn't be menstruating, right? But, since we do menstruate, doesn't that show that there's no blockage there?" She asked curiously.

“First of all, what do you know about hymen?" I asked to know if she has an idea of what she's talking about.

She looked up, thought for a while before answering,“From what I know, the hymen is a thin and stretchy layer of tissue located below the opening of the vagina. It is elastic and is also used as a physical marker of virginity."

“Is that all? Do you think it has any biological function or any function at all?"

She shook her head and said,“I'm not sure but I think the only function it has is to determine if a woman has lost her virginity or not."

“Ohhh, I seeee.....do you really believe that?"

She shrugged and said nothing which made me to continue

“Have you heard about myths and facts before?"

“Yeah, I have but what does that have to do with the topic at hand?" she inquired

Smiling, I told her to relax and tell me what she knows about myths and facts."

“Okay, a myth is something that is believed to be true but it's not really the truth while a fact is something that has proof or evidence that it's true" She said still trying to figure out why I asked her such question.

Impressed with her answer, I replied,“Good! Now, do you think your knowledge of a hymen is a myth or a fact?"

“Sister Nessa, I don't know what to say right now. I just answered you based on what I've heard from people, not that I'm really sure about it" she answered while chuckling.

“Okay, let me help you" I paused and continued after few seconds,“A myth is a widely held but false belief. A misconception, fallacy, trumped-up story and an alternative fact. On the contrary, a fact is known and proven to be true with an actual or back-up evidence/experience. Your idea and knowledge of a hymen is actually a medical myth."

“A medical myth? What's that?" She questioned

“It's the same thing as a normal myth. The only difference is that the false belief regards or revolves around issues of health."

“Wow! Really? Tell me more about it." 

“Yeah. Well, there are various medical myths like an apple a day keeps the doctor away, eating ice cream will make your cold worse, eating food within 5 seconds of dropping it on the floor is safe, carrots gives you great night vision, the blood turns blue when it's out of oxygen, pregnancy gives you baby brain and makes you dumb, hair and fingernails keeps growing after death and so many others. What your friend said about the hymen blocking the vagina is also a medical myth. "

Looking surprised, she responded,“Really? I've heard about a number of these things and I really didn't know or think they were fake"

“Well, the thing is that most myths are not entirely false; they just don't have any evidence behind them. For instance, the myth that an apple a day keeps the doctor away isn't entirely a lie because apples are good sources of fibre and vitamin c which contributes greatly to the nourishment of the body but then, an apple isn't the only thing needed for someone to be healthy, well - nourished and illness free. You understand?"

She nodded showing her understanding so I continued,“About the hymen, it is a fold of skin with no biological function. It partially covers the opening of the vagina to give room for menstruation, discharge, sexual intercourse and child birth. In rare cases where it entirely covers the vaginal opening, a surgery known as hymenectomy is done to correct it and such type of hymen is called an imperforate hymen” I paused and checked her facial expressions to make sure she's understanding me before I continued again, “Not every girl is even born with one so you can't say that it is an actual determinant of virginity. A lot of activities can rupture or stretch the hymen apart from penetration eg strenuous activities, intense physical exercises like riding a bicycle, a horse or even using a tampon.

 

The only way to know if one is a virgin is to politely ask and not through a stretched or ruptured hymen. Hope I've cleared your doubts now."

“Yes, sis. Thanks a lot. I've learnt something new" she said happily

“Before you go, have in mind that believing myths is going to change or shift your mind and focus from the main deal. So, getting your facts and informations right is very important to avoid neglecting the essential things to be done especially when it has to do with your health."

“Thank you very much, sister Nessa. You're the best" She replied and hugged me before leaving my room.

Writer Details:Okocha Chiamaka

Location:Evangel University,Ebonyi State,Nigeria🇳🇬.