Often associated with loss of virginity, rupture of the hymen, that is, the membrane at the entrance to the vagina, can also occur without penetration. Is it painful? Does tearing the hymen necessarily cause bleeding? Answers.

The hymen is the flexible membrane that partially obstructs the vaginal opening. “It is naturally perforated with a small orifice more or less narrow which allows menstruation and leucorrhoea (white discharge) to flow,” explains Dr Millie Marin Ponce, gynecologist-obstetrician in Brussels on the site specializing in women’s health Gyn & co.

This membrane, about a millimeter thick, which has no anatomical role and will not have the same shape or the same flexibility according to the women. “Some women are born without a hymen”, even specifies the Gyn & co site.

Sacralized in certain cultures and religions, the hymen is often associated with virginity. If most often this membrane tears at the time of the first sexual intercourse, it can also accidentally rupture during a shock related to the practice of a sport such as horse riding or simply by cycling for example.

In very rare situations, the placement of a hygienic tampon can lead to the rupture of the hymen, but in the majority of cases, the flexibility of the membrane allows it to receive periodic protection without risking a possible tear.

Defloration is the term used to define the rupture of the hymen that occurs during the first intercourse, during the penetration of the partner’s penis. The membrane being very flexible, it can happen that the vaginal report does not result in the tearing of the hymen.

Bleeding when the hymen is torn is not systematic. A flexible or poorly vascularized hymen will tend not to bleed.

The pain associated with the rupture of the hymen varies from one woman to another. Besides the tear of the membrane, it is often the first vaginal penetration that can cause a sensation of pain. Taking your time during foreplay will naturally lubricate the vagina and therefore facilitate penetration. The stress of the first time can also cause contraction of the muscle of the vagina and discomfort during penetration.

Repeated pain or difficult or impossible penetration can be a symptom of vaginismus – a prolonged contraction of the muscles around the vagina – or a tight hymen that may require surgery.

Hymenoplasty is an operation that reconstructs a hymen that has been torn. The operation can take place under local or general anesthesia and does not require hospitalization. She can benefit from social security coverage when she follows a sexual assault.

The surgeon makes a suture from the “remnants” of the membrane. In some cases, the specialist may also use pieces of the vaginal lining to rebuild the membrane. The threads will fall out after 2-XNUMX weeks. Hymenoplasty does not leave a visible scar.

In rare cases, it may happen that, even after vaginal intercourse, the hymen does not or does not tear completely during penetration. Pain during intercourse may appear. An operation – the hymenotomy – under local anesthesia will then cut the hymen.

A gynecologist will be able to determine after an examination whether the rupture of the hymen has occurred or not. In France, “virginity tests” are prohibited on a third party, even if it is a member of the family. The National Council of the Order of Physicians encourages practitioners to refuse this type of test and to redouble the pedagogy in order to explain that the tear of the hymen is not necessarily linked to sexual intercourse.

The examination can only be performed at the request of the patient and the doctor is subject to medical confidentiality. The certificate will therefore be delivered by hand only.