Art by Wesley Johnson

The thought of “virginity” for those who have vaginas has a history that is complicated and has now frequently been (wrongly) connected to breaking the hymen. Bleeding after sexual activity had been improperly considered to be evidence of an unbroken hymen, and so, evidence that a individual had not had sex prior to. The fact, nonetheless, is the fact that continuing state of one’s hymen has nothing in connection with intercourse.

A board-certified ob-gyn and a spokesperson for Paragard, and Alexandra Eisler, a health and sex educator from Healthy Teen Network, we’re going to separate fact from fiction and explain what a hymen is, how a hymen breaks, and its complicated relationship with the historical concept of virginity with the help of Dr. Jessica Shepherd. Continue reading for 9 facts you should know about that small muscle. But first, let us get our definitions clear:

What exactly is a hymen?

“The hymen is really a membrane that is thin surrounds the opening towards the vagina,” describes Dr.

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