In the past, it was often assumed that if a girl didn’t bleed after the first time she had sexual intercourse, she must not have been a virgin. This is completely false but this misconception persists in popular culture both in modern and traditional cultures. In fact, girls who have sex for the first time often do not bleed or experience any injury to their hymen, which is often simply a minimal rim of tissue around the vaginal opening that does not change with intercourse.
It is not typical for any woman’s hymen to be fully intact, so its presence alone cannot be proof of a woman’s virginity or experience with penetrative sex. Moreover, medical experts dispute the validity (and discourage the use) of the terms “intact” or “broken” in relation to the hymen, as they are inaccurate and sexist. Below are other truths about the hymen.
It can be very flexible and resist being torn, even after having intercourse.
Some people believe that virginity is ‘lost’ the first time they have sex. Some people believe that if sex was forced or pressured (sexual assault) that it does not affect their virginity. Some people do not believe in the concept of virginity or ‘losing’ virginity at all. The definition of virginity is not as important as making sure that both partners are ready and consenting to any sexual activity. It should be according to your religious and cultural beliefs, and should not be impacted due to peer pressure. As for boys/ men, who expect the woman to bleed on their wedding night, to prove her purity that she has not engaged in any sexual activity before marriage, need to understand the basic biological facts about women. Even if she doesn’t bleed, doesn’t mean at all, she has had sex before.
Some people believe that an intact hymen — the thin tissue that stretches across at least part of the opening of the vagina in most girls at birth — is proof of a woman’s virginity. But that is medically incorrect. Each girl is born with a hymen, but that they come in a variety of shapes and sizes — and some girls may appear to have no hymen at all.
Sexual intercourse does not make the hymen disappear or tear it away. More often, it may simply stretch as needed during intercourse. When it gets stretched to its maximum capacity due to insertion of a foreign object in vagina, eg, penis, its tears and bleed a little bit.
The hymen can be damaged by various other reasons as well, like medical vaginal exams, even certain kinds of vigorous physical activities , horse riding, jumping etc.
So all in all, most girls do have a thin membrane with no biological function, called hymen at the entrance of their vagina, it is not fully stretched across vaginal opening, and rather it already has one or couple of holes in it that allows the menstrual blood to flow out. When stretched, due to vigorous exercise or penetration of something, it tears and may bleed a little. But not necessarily a test to prove a woman’s chastity.
