When Are You Considered a Virgin Again

Everyone born with a vagina has a hymen, a collar of tissue at the entrance to your vagina. Merely as all bodies are dissimilar, hymens are also dissimilar. Looking at a hymen does not tell you anything about virginity.

Key points

1. There is a lot of misinformation about the hymen and how it relates to virginity.
2. We are not sure of the exact biological role of the hymen.
3. Hymens are not normally damaged by sexual practice or sports.
4. Hymens change throughout life in response to hormone levels (primarily oestrogens).
5. Virginity is not a physical affair, merely a quality that you can choose to share with someone – it cannot be taken away or lost.
6. It is mutual non to bleed the get-go time you take sexual activity – bleeding (or not) doesn't say anything about virginity.

Hymens through history

Throughout history, patriarchal cultures accept used the sexual history of girls and women to determine their status and value, every bit well as the condition of their families and communities.

It is wrongly assumed that by looking at the hymen you tin prove whether a woman is a virgin. Although this 'virginity-testing' has been condemned as a violation of human rights, it still continues in many parts of the world today and can be a controversial issue across different cultures and religions.

What is a normal hymen?

The hymen is a stretchy neckband of tissue at the entrance to your vagina. It is protected by your labia. Information technology can exist compared to a scrunchie (hair necktie) – with bunched-up tissue that expands when stretched (eg, during sex or using tampons) so returns to its bunched-upward shape afterwards.

Hymens come in many different shapes and sizes. They may have a ring shape, one-half-moon shape or squiggly edges with notches – all of these are normal. The size of the opening in your hymen also varies in size and shape.

Image credit: Nationwide Children's Hospital

What is an imperforate hymen?

Imperforate hymen is a medical status where there is no opening (or a very pocket-sized one) in your hymen. This becomes a problem with menstruation (periods) equally blood cannot come out, causing pain. It may also cause problems with passing urine (peeing) or bowel motions (pooing).

You may besides take difficulty with inserting tampons or having sex. This is an uncommon trouble (around i in every 2000 girls) and requires surgery under anaesthetic to requite the hymen an opening to let blood to flow.

How does the hymen change?

Your hymen changes throughout your life.

• Before puberty, your hymen is sparse and may exist sensitive.
• During puberty, increased hormones (oestrogen) cause your hymen and other vaginal tissues to become thicker and stretchier.
• During pregnancy, increased hormones cause your vaginal tissues to become even stretchier to allow for childbirth.
• Childbirth may also alter the shape of your hymen and your vaginal tissues.
• With menopause and aging, your hymen and other vaginal tissues go thinner again (as oestrogen decreases).

What is virginity?

Virginity is a quality that we all have – it is not a physical thing. It is your choice to share your virginity and experience sexual intimacy with some other person – without pressure or harm (eg, from drugs or alcohol). It cannot exist lost or taken past someone else. This is really important to understand, because you are in charge of your trunk and of your sexuality.

Tin yous tell if someone is a virgin based on whether they drain when they accept sex?

Y'all cannot tell if someone is a virgin or not based on whether they bleed the first time they accept sex. Almost half of women bleed when they commencement have sex, and half of women don't bleed. Both are completely normal.

Bleeding may come from minor splits in your hymen or your vagina itself. The haemorrhage should be lighter than a period and shouldn't last for more than than a couple of days as these tears heal chop-chop because at that place is a good claret supply.

Some hymens are stretchier than others and will never split or drain. It is impossible to tell by looking at a hymen whether you have had sexual intercourse or not.

Other factors such every bit vaginal dryness, not being aroused (turned on), skin conditions (infection or inflammation) and rough sexual contact can also cause bleeding.

There are other causes of bleeding after sex.

Quick facts near hymens

• Your hymen does non completely cover your vaginal opening – a pigsty is normal.
• When yous take sex, your hymen does not 'break or pop' – it stretches, which may cause a modest tear.
• You cannot tell by looking at a hymen whether sex activity has occurred (consensual or non-consensual).
• The size of the opening in your hymen is irrelevant, unless it is so small and causes blood flow obstruction and hurting (so you need to run into a doctor).
• Using tampons, bike-riding, doing gymnastics and horse riding are very unlikely to damage your hymen.
• Straddle injuries (falling onto a solid object with your legs open) may cause damage to your hymen and other tissues – see your md if this happens.

Learn more than

Virginity and the hymen myth Just The Facts, NZ
It's non a cherry and information technology tin't be popped – exploding the hymen myth The Spinoff, NZ, 2020

References

1. Congenital anomalies of the female person genital tract O&G Magazine, 2017
2. Dietrich JE, Millar DM, Quint EH. Obstructive reproductive tract anomalies. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. 2014;27:396-402.
3. Congenital abnormalities of the hymen and vagina UpToDate, 2020
4. Evaluation of sexual abuse in children and adolescents UpToDate, 2020
5. Mishori R, Ferdowsian H, Naimer K, Volpellier Thousand, McHale T. The piddling tissue that couldn't – dispelling myths about the hymen's function in determining sexual history and assault Reprod Health. 2019;16(1):74.
6. Rogers DJ, Stark Chiliad. The hymen is not necessarily torn later sexual intercourse BMJ (Clinical Research Ed). 1998; 317 (7155):414.
7. Whitley N. The first coital experience of one hundred women JOGN Nurs. 1978; vii (4):41–45.

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Source: https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/h/hymens-and-virginity/

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