UK Clinics Are Selling Controversial 'Virginity Tests'
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A number of private clinics in the UK are offering "virginity tests", it has been reported.
An investigation by the BBC has found the controversial tests, along with "virginity repair" procedures, are being advertised at medical clinics across Britain.
The tests involve an examination to check whether the hymen - a thin piece of skin that covers the entrance to the vagina - is still intact.
What they fail to mention is that the hymen can break for a number of reasons, including during various different activities, such as horse riding and other sports, or by simply using a tampon. Despite this, the investigation found the tests are being sold for as much as £300.
BBC investigators contacted 16 clinics in the UK, with seven confirming they offered the intrusive testing. Others would not clarify.
All admitted to offering "virginity repair" - also known as hymen repair surgery - which can cost up to £3,000. The surgery involves stitching or reconstructing the hymen, allowing it to bleed again during sex. It takes less than an hour and is performed under local anaesthetic.
One clinic in London offering the procedure claims that while "a virgin is often expected to bleed after intercourse on their wedding night, 25 per cent do not".
Meanwhile another clinic's website claims: "An intact hymen is considered to be proof of virginity, and in some cultures, virginity is sacred and should be kept for marriage. Additionally, if a bride does not bleed on her wedding night, it is not uncommon for her to experience physical abuse as a result."
For those who can't afford the procedure, 'kits' are also being sold online. For example, one company - Be Virgin - is offering a £51 'virginity revive bundle' which combines an artificial hymen repair kit and hymen blood capsules to mimic the "visual effects" of bleeding during sex.
"The two products working together to enable a very convincing effect of virginity as both the prosthetic translucent membranes and the liquid membrane break down in the vagina and dissolve into a thick membrane-like layer which holds form during the intercourse," the description reads.
"The power of two products both containing blood-like red natural food dye provides the ultimate virginity blood effect as well as some 'breaking the hymen' effect."
Hymen repair surgery is currently legal in the UK, but many leading gynaecologists agree the procedures should be banned.
Guidelines issued by the General Medical Council (GMC) state patients should make "informed consent" which should be questioned if there is any suspicion it has been "given under pressure or duress exerted by another person".