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Circumferential hymen elasticity. A marker of physiologic maturity
S F Pokorny1, J G Murphy, M K Preminger
1Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
The Journal of Reproductive Medicine
|December 5, 1998
Summary
Hymenal elasticity, measured by speculum size, increases during adolescence in females. This change, along with Tanner staging, can indicate physiologic maturity in young women.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive endocrinology
- Adolescent gynecology
Background:
- Assessing sexual maturation in peripubertal females is crucial for understanding reproductive health.
- Anatomic changes during puberty reflect underlying hormonal shifts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between anatomical changes in peripubertal females and their sexual hormonal maturation.
- To evaluate speculum size as a surrogate marker for hymenal elasticity and its relation to pubertal development.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for virginal females aged 9-20 undergoing at least two gynecologic examinations.
- Speculum sizes at each visit served as a measure of circumferential hymenal elasticity.
Main Results:
- Speculum size and Tanner stages (breast and pubic hair) significantly increased between the first (mean age 14.6) and second (mean age 16.7) visits.
- Age, Tanner stages, and time since menarche, thelarche, and pubarche correlated with larger speculum sizes at the first visit.
- Changes in speculum size were associated with younger age, lower Tanner pubic hair stages at the first visit, and increases in age, BMI, and Tanner pubic hair stages between visits.
Conclusions:
- Circumferential hymenal elasticity demonstrably increases throughout female adolescence.
- Speculum diameter, as a measure of hymenal elasticity, can be utilized alongside Tanner staging to assess physiologic maturity in adolescent women.