1. Home
  2. Vol 30, No 1 (2026)
  3. Mohamed

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of gynaecologists towards virginity testing in Egypt: a cross-sectional study

Heba S. Mohamed(1), Zakia M. Ibrahim(2), Mariam Lotfy(3), Mohamed F. Ibrahim(4),


(1) Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University
(2) Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University
(3) Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University
(4) Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University
Corresponding Author

Abstract


This cross-sectional study evaluated gynecologists' attitudes, practices, and knowledge of obstetricians in Egypt towards virginity testing (VT). The study involved 120 gynecologists from private clinics and hospitals in Ismailia, Egypt. The questionnaire was developed in three sections: Section one asked questions on participants' socio demographic backgrounds, while Section two inquired on the gynecologists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning VT. Section three of the questionnaire solicited information from the respondents about the characteristics of women who were submitted for VT. The results showed that 82.5% of the participants were unable to adequately identify VT. Sixty-five (54.2%) of the participants reported negative attitudes towards VT. The most common motivation for performing VT was the exclusion of an imperforate hymen in 70% of participants. 68.2% of women who presented for VT were unmarried, and 80.8% were Muslims. Virginity testing is practiced among Egyptian gynecologists despite the lack of accurate knowledge and a positive attitude towards its disadvantages.

References


Duarte-Santos LA. Virginity and defloration: concepts and knowledge. Port Med. 1963; 40(2):73-95.

Sprecher T, Stanislav T, and John K. Premarital sexual standard socio- sexuality: Gender, Ethnicity, and Cohort differences. Arch sex Behav. 2013;42(8):1395-405.

Kandela P. Egypt’s trade in hymen repair. Lancet. 1996; 347(9015):1615.

Hegazy AA and Al-Rukban MO. Hymen facts and conceptions. Health. 2012;3(4):109-15.

Olson RM and García-Moreno C. Virginity testing, a systematic review: Reprod Health. 2017;14(1):61.

Behrens KG. Virginity testing in South Africa: a cultural concession taken too far? S Afr J Philos. 2014;33(2):177-87.

Ayotte B. State-control of female virginity in Turkey: the role of physicians. J Ambul Care Manage. 2000;23(1):89– 91

Robatjazi M, Simbar M, Nahidi F, Gharehdaghi J, Emamhadi M, Vedadhir A-A, and Hamid Alavimajd .Virginity testing beyond a medical examination. Glob J Health Sci. 2016;8(7):152.

Independent Forensic Expert Group. Statement on virginity testing. J Forensic Leg Med. 2015; 33:121–4

Khambati N. India’s two-finger tests after rape violate women and should be eliminated from medical practice. BMJ. 2014;348: g3336–g36.

World Health Organization. Eliminating virginity testing: an interagency statement: World Health Organization; 2018.

Juth N, Tännsjö T, Hansson S-O and Lynöe N. Honour-related threats and human rights: a qualitative study of Swedish healthcare providers’ attitudes towards young women requesting a virginity certificate or hymen reconstruction. Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 2013;18(6):451-9.

Eşsizoğlu A, Yasan A, Yildirim EA, Gurgen F, and Ozkan M. Double standard for traditional value of virginity and premarital sexuality in Turkey: A university student’s case. Women's Health. 2011;51(2):136-

14. Wynn LL and Hassanein S. Hymenoplasty,

virginity testing and the simulacrum of female respectability. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 2017; 42:893-917.

Abboud S, Jemmott LS, and Sommers MS. “We are Arabs:” The Embodiment of Virginity Through Arab and Arab American Women’s Lived Experiences. Sex Cult. 2015;19(4):715-36.

Cinthio H. “You go home and tell that to my dad!” Conflicting claims and understandings on the hymen and virginity. Sex Cult. 2015;19(1):172-89.

Steinmüller H and Tan T. Like a virgin? Hymen restoration operations in contemporary China. Anthropol Today. 2015;31(2):15-8.

Kamm E. Dimensions of honour in Kremo Kartli, Georgia: The importance of virginity in the name of honour. 2016. In S. Voell & I. Kaliszewska (Eds.), State and legal practice in the Caucasus: Anthropological perspectives on law and politics (pp. 83-94). London, England: Routledge.

Essén B, Blomkvist A, Helström L, and Johnsdotter S. The experience and responses of Swedish health professionals to patients requesting virginity restoration (hymen repair). Reprod Health Matters. 2010;18(35):38- 46.

Moaddab A, McCullough LB, Chervenak FA, Stark L, Schulkin J, Dildy GA,Susan P. Raine, and Alireza A. Shamshirsaz . A survey of honor‐related practices among US obstetricians and gynecologists. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2017;139(2):164-9.

Pillai M. Genital findings in prepubertal girls: what can be concluded from an examination? J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2008;21(4):177-85.

Mishori R, Ferdowsian H, Naimer K, Volpellier M, and McHale T. The little tissue that couldn’t–dispelling myths about the Hymen’s role in determining sexual history and assault. Reprod Health. 2019;16(1):74.

Shalhoub-Kevorkian N. Imposition of virginity testing: a life-saver or a license to kill? Soc Sci Med. 2005;60(6):1187–96.

Dignity on Trial. New York City: Human Rights Watch; 2010. http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/india0910webwcover.pdf. Accessed 20 March 2020.

Frank M, Bauer H, Arican N, Korur Fincanci S, and Iacopino V. Virginity examinations in Turkey. JAMA. 1999;282(5):485.

Human Rights Watch Women’s Rights Project. A matter of power: state control of women’s virginity in Turkey. Human Rights Watch. 1994; 6:1-38.

Boyle, Kevin and Adel Omar Sherif. Human Rights and Democracy:The Role of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt. Boston: Kluwer Law International, 1996. “Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.” < http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm>.


Full Text: PDF

Article Metrics

Abstract View : 386 times
PDF Download : 156 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.