“Virgin mothers” are not so rare: according to a study by the Christmas BMJ, several young women have their first sexual relationship after their pregnancy.
Would the Immaculate Conception be possible for some young women? While no spontaneous pregnancy has been reported in humans, one in 200 young American women places their first pregnancy before the first sexual encounter. These are the results of a study published in the Christmas edition of British Medical Journal, which publishes offbeat but quite serious research.
Vows of chastity and religious culture
More than 7,800 young women, aged 15 to 28, responded to online questionnaires. None of the questions specifically mentioned virgin pregnancies, but the researchers drew a rough timeline from the answers. Between 0.5% and 1% of the participants still considered themselves virgins at the time of their pregnancy and did not resort to in vitro fertilization. In other words, they locate their first sexual relationship after giving birth.
We can explain these statements by a very strong religious culture. Out of 45 young women who describe themselves as pregnant and virgins, a third have signed a “vow of chastity”, meaning that they have made a commitment not to have sex before their marriage. This practice is widespread in very Christian families. As the authors of the study point out, “virgin pregnancy is associated with cultural mores that place a high value on virginity. And parthenogenesis is often mentioned by different religions.
Misunderstanding?
However, the Christmas miracle is not enough to explain why so many young women call themselves “virgin mothers.” “Memory blanks” must also be considered, as well as a reaction of denial. A young woman who has had unwanted sex, or with a man she doesn’t like, may decide that “it doesn’t matter” and therefore describes herself as a virgin.
According to the authors, one should not exclude either a misunderstanding of the questions for certain cases: “Even if most of the pregnancies took place in adulthood, some participants could have misinterpreted the definition of sexual relation. In a study of Canadian university students, 90% [des répondants] considered that a penis-vagina relationship with orgasm was “making love” “
A question of definition
A gap in the definition of virginity may explain some of these answers. The authors cite a study conducted in Africa, which concluded that the definition of first sexual relationship means first sexual encounter with her husband.
The very perception of what a sexual relationship is is to be questioned. In some religious communities, premarital sex is prohibited. But virginity is defined by the presence of the hymen. Some young women therefore have relationships, without going as far as penetration. But that does not mean that it is impossible to get pregnant: it is enough for the semen to have access to the vagina to travel up to the ovaries. As soon as there is fertilization, there is pregnancy… but the woman always considers herself a virgin.
The researchers also point out the lack of sex education among these young women: they are often not made aware of contraceptive techniques and sexual relations. One conclusion emerges from these results: such scientifically impossible claims demonstrate how careful one should be when respondents describe their own behavior.
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