L&F1- It is useless!
The hymen is a small piece of skin located at the entrance of the vagina. We’re not really sure why it’s there, but we know it does not serve any purpose!
2- Having a hymen and being a virgin are not the same thing
Because it is estimated that 1/3 of women are born with a hymen.
And some of them “break” it when practicing a strenuous activity, such as horse-riding or doing splits for example (granted it’s quite rare but it does happen).
And mainly, because there is no scientific or medical definition of virginity, which is first and foremost a social and cultural concept.
3- 50% of women don’t bleed the first time they have sex
50 %. Yes, you read that right. That’s half of the female population.
4- There are different types of hymen
The annular one is the most common one.
5- Some types of hymen can make it hard to have sex
Namely, when they are too thick and when they cover the entirety of the vagina. In that case, they can lead to blocked blood flow and complications during penetration.
Surgery is then highly recommended. But don’t panic, less than 1 % of girls go through this struggle. Don’t hesitate to go for a check-up if any heavy bleeding or pain occurs the first times you have sex!
6- The hymen doesn’t “break”, it extends or stretches!
Because it’s filled with holes in the middle!
Sometimes, a woman expels the remains of her hymen when giving birth.
To sum it up: We give way too much attention to a useless piece of skin!
Now go spread the news: virginity and hymen have nothing to do with each other!
Sources
Interview Gaëlle Abou Ghannam, gynecologist, le 4 avril 2019
Interview Carl Jallad, gynecologist, le 4 juin 2019
Podcast Hakawati, Sex Talk, “Virginity misconceptions”, Sandrine Atallah and Gaëlle Abou Ghannam https://hakawati.fm/episodes/view/398
Stories of Sandrine Atallah, Lebanese Sexologist https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18052816429036855/
Article “La sexualité”, Collège national des gynécologues et obstétriciens français (here).
This article is part of our series on sexuality in Lebanon, #LFonsexuality
Reporting and writing: Nada Maucourant Atallah & Soraya Hamdan
Translation: Nour Chidiac
Illustrations: Eva Besse
Editing: MJ Daoud