Table of contents:
- What is virginity?
- What is the hymen?
- The hymen is torn, that means it is not a virgin?
- How can the hymen not tear during sex?
- The hymen only exists once in a lifetime
The integrity of the hymen is synonymous with virginity. In addition, society also associates a woman's virginity with the honor and good name of the family. The hymen, also known as hymen, is a symbol of the purity and morality of a woman who is loyal to her family, culture, or religion.
Virginity is a topic that is often shrouded in various kinds of myths and confusion. Not infrequently, these two topics are still considered taboo for most people to discuss.
What is virginity?
Virgin is often defined as a woman who has never had sex. Sex itself has a wide range to be interpreted accurately.
Many people interpret sex as the activity of penetrating the penis into the vagina. This definition is really narrow because it excludes many people and other types of sex. Some people who have never had penetrative vaginal sex do not consider themselves virgins because they have had other types of sex, anal or oral.
This definition also limits the scope of the LGBTQ + community who may not have had penile-vaginal penetrative sex, but does not consider them to be virgins.
Some people believe that "virginity" is based on consent (the desire and consent to be involved in the sexual relationship of each party). So, many also think that sexual relations based on coercion do not make a person no longer a virgin.
What is the hymen?
The hymen is a very thin skin tissue that lines the vaginal opening. It is widely thought that this membrane stretches over the entire vagina. In fact, hymen have various levels of elasticity and thickness, also have openings (the shape of the openings is different for each woman) to allow menstrual blood and other body fluids to flow out.
Generally, the hymen has an opening the size of a finger or a small tampon. However, the opening is not always shaped like a donut hole. For some women, the membrane opening is shaped like a step on a ladder, and there are also small holes in the entire surface of the hymen. In very rare cases, the opening can appear so small that your finger, tampon, or penis may not be able to penetrate the lining easily (or, at all). In fact, there are a handful of women who are born without a hymen in their vagina.
When a woman hits puberty and starts producing the hormone estrogen, this can cause the hymen to change in texture, providing a "false" barrier to enjoying sex without pain.
The function of the hymen is still unknown, but one theory is that hymen exist to protect the vaginal opening and the surrounding area during a person's early growth period.
The hymen is torn, that means it is not a virgin?
Until now, the integrity of the hymen is still a measure of a person's virginity and morality. In fact, virginity cannot be measured or proven from a physical examination of the vagina.
Hymen usually tear during penetrative sex for the first time, but this isn't always the case. Tearing of the hymen can cause temporary bleeding and some discomfort. What needs to be understood, the membrane can also be torn due to other conditions, such as masturbation (inserting a finger or sex toy into the vagina), inserting a tampon, inserting a speculum during the examination of a gynecologist, or other physical sports (gymnastics, horse riding, cycling).
So many determinants that may play a factor in hymen injury. There are also many studies that show that forensic experts in child sexual abuse cases are unable to read the signs of hymen damage, especially if the victim is late to the hospital for examination, because the torn membranes in children and adolescents can still recover quickly.
Some women may not notice when their membranes are torn, especially if this is not the case during sexual intercourse, because tearing of the hymen can occur without causing bleeding or pain.
How can the hymen not tear during sex?
Pain during sex is a common gynecological condition, and can be caused by a variety of factors that may have nothing to do with medical problems, one of which is too rush to penetrate without sufficient vaginal lubrication.
When having sex for the first time, the membranes in the vagina will stretch to facilitate passage of the penis. You can "keep" your hymen from tearing during sex if your body is relaxed and well-lubricated.
Some women may bleed during their first sex because their hymen structures are thicker or more resistant than other women.
The hymen only exists once in a lifetime
Uniquely, hymen will not just disappear from your body, even after a tear occurs. Some of the residual membrane tissue will remain in the vagina after sexual intercourse, even after childbirth.
In addition, developments in modern medical technology have allowed men to "rejuvenate" their vagina and hymen. There are two specific procedures for doing this:
- Hymenplasty or hymenorrgraphy surgery. This procedure allows the doctor to sew back the remaining lining tissue in your vagina. This procedure will disguise your "insecurity" so that when you are required to undergo a virginity test, health workers will not know the difference. Hymen reconstruction surgery is not an emergency medical intervention, but only a procedure performed on a social basis like any other plastic surgery.
- Artificial hymen. This artificial object is non-toxic and safe to use. Artificial hymen can be inserted into the vagina, thereby releasing false bleeding (artificial fluid with a blood-like texture) when penetration occurs.
Thus, whether the hymen is intact or not can be used as a benchmark to determine a person's virginity because virginity is not always related to penile penetration.
