A Survey Study of Virginity Testing in the United States

Despite professional organizations describing virginity testing as medically invalid, it continues being requested and performed in many countries. This exploratory survey e study aimed to examine attitudes toward virginity testing in the United States (US) and explored its physical and psychosocial impacts among respondents.

An anonymous Qualtrics survey was distributed online following institutional review board approval. The survey included questions specific to respondents assigned female and male at birth, healthcare providers and individuals who reported having undergone virginity testing. Analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel v.16.33 and descriptive statistics.

A total of 1054 responses were received. Most (86.7%) perceived virginity testing as a negative practice. Fourteen respondent (1.3% of all participants) reported personally undergoing virginity testing, most commonly between ages 15 and 17, frequently with limited informed consent. Among the 167 healthcare providers surveyed, seven (4.5%) reported performing testing, and fourteen (9%) reported being requested to perform it. Nineteen providers (12.3%) reported encountering virginity testing during training, while the majority supported stricter regulations.

This study found that 4.5% of respondents reported performing virginity testing. Most individuals tested were minors and reported a lack of informed consent and comprehensive discussion. Virginity testing was considered physically and emotionally invasive by more than 97% of the respondents, highlighting its continued practice despite limited clinical validity.