6 Painfully Outdated Hymen Myths That Need To Be 'Broken'

The breaking of the hymen and bleeding after penetrative sex has been associated with ‘virginal purity’ for women for far too long. It has been used as an indicator for verifying if a woman is a ‘virgin’. However, virginity itself is a construct and all these myths surrounding it only pit women against each other. Society uses virginity to put certain women on a pedestal and condemns those who take charge and explore their sexuality, especially out of wedlock.

While celibacy or sex is a personal choice, using these arbitrary parameters to constantly judge a woman’s character is problematic. Scroll below to find out the hymen myths that need to go away.

Hymen Is A Barrier That Needs To Be Broken

Medically speaking, the hymen is a membranous tissue that only surrounds the vaginal opening. It does not cover it, hence, it is not a barrier. It is like a rubber band that holds a ponytail. So it already has an opening. This is where the vaginal discharge and bleeding come out. Hence, the hymen doesn’t really break, it can stretch.

Tampon Breaks The Hymen And Takes Away Virginity

A tampon cannot take away anyone’s virginity. Secondly, virginity is an age-old construct that is used to judge a woman’s character and tag her with ‘pure’ and ‘impure’ labels.

The hymen does not cover the vaginal canal entirely. Therefore, neither can it nor does any other sanitary product break it. In rare cases, a woman might have their hymen almost entirely covering the vaginal opening, which would call for surgical intervention.

Hymen Breaks The First Time After A Woman Has Penetrative Sex

It is a myth that has stuck around with us for centuries. While we have established that a hymen does not break but stretches, it is also essential to know that it can stretch even if a woman indulges in physical activities like swimming, cycling, and horse riding.

Insertion of a tampon or any other sanitary product, fingers, and sex toys can also result in stretching of the hymen. There is a chance, that by the time a woman has penetrative sex for the first time, her hymen might already be stretched out.

Hymen Examination Can Tell If A Woman Has Been Sexually Assaulted

One of the biggest misconceptions leads to the introduction of the two-finger test to rule out sexual assault in women. There is no proof that hymen would be damaged during sex, even if a woman is sexually assaulted.

Damage marks on the hymen due to sexual assault cannot be differentiated from natural ones. India has also banned the two-finger test on survivors of rape. Only a complete physical examination can demonstrate if a woman was sexually assaulted.

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Even a gynaecologist cannot tell if you are a ‘virgin’ just by looking at your hymen. Its appearance changes over time, and there is no text-book image or description to verify how a hymen of a ‘virgin’ should look like.

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Hymen Stretching Causes Bleeding

It is not a rule that hymen stretching will cause pain to every woman. Most of the time, it happens without anyone noticing. Many relate the pain and discomfort associated with first-time sex with hymen stretching. It is not true. It can be an amalgamation of anxiety, not enough natural lubrication, and inexperience.

Every Woman Has A Hymen And It Grows Back

Once and for all, we need to bust this myth. Not every biological female is born with a hymen, and they can live without it just fine. A hymen is a tissue, therefore, it does not grow back or de-stretch.