Facts About the Hymen that You Need to Know

April 29, 2023By Nona Woman

The vaginal canal is lined by a membrane known as the hymen. However, there is an erroneous assumption that is still held by many people that a person's virginity is closely related to the tearing of the hymen. Actually, this is not true because the hymen only functions as a vaginal protector and is not the main indicator of virginity. Therefore, it is important for us to know the facts about the hymen that have not been revealed. What are these facts? Let's take a closer look.

Some Facts About Hymen

Here are the facts about the Hymen that you should know, among them that is:

The Hymen Has Many Forms
Every woman has a different shape of the hymen. Some are very thick to cover all parts of the vagina and some are very thin. The hymen looks like a thin disc or ring that loops around the vagina, with some hymens having perforations or many small holes.

The hymen is a piece of elastic tissue around the vagina that has the ability to stretch and contract when the surrounding skin moves. And the hymen consists of two types of folds, namely the part that is attached to the vulva and folds that move freely from the surface of the skin. Even though it is denser, the part attached to the vulva doesn't have nerve fibers, muscle, or blood cells, so it won't bleed or cause pain if a tear occurs.
Not a Marker of Female Virginity
The hymen can tear due to strenuous activity, use of tampons, or sexual intercourse. However, the tearing of the hymen does not always cause pain or bleeding. Unfortunately, there are still myths linking the tearing of the hymen to loss of virginity in women, even though this is not true.

Actually, the myth comes from the meaning of the word "hymenaios" which is the name of the Greek god of marriage. Some cultures consider that a woman should not have sexual relations before marriage.
Hymen Torn the First Time you Have Sex
Until now, there has been no convincing evidence that sexual intercourse can change the hymen. Also, keep in mind that not all women will experience bleeding the first time they have sexual intercourse.

In fact, only about 43% of women experience a hymen tear and bleed the first time they have sex, while another 57% have no bleeding. This is because some hymens are more elastic than others, so intercourse for the first time probably won't damage them.

However, it is not entirely correct to say that sexual penetration always damages the hymen. There are various other factors that can cause tearing of the hymen, such as using a speculum to check the vaginal canal, use of tampons, physical activity that is too strenuous,injury, trauma, and of course, sexual penetration itself.
Not All Women Have a Hymen
are you tAhu if not all women are born with a hymen? In fact, only about 1 in 1000 women do not have a hymen from birth. Therefore, the hymen should not be used as a measure of one's virginity. Don't let misunderstandings about virginity become a negative stigma for women who don't actually have a hymen from birth.

Those are the facts about the hymen that you should know. Actually, every woman has a different shape and elasticity in their hymen. So, not all hymen that is torn the first time you have sex will cause bleeding.