Virginity means that someone has not yet had sexual intercourse. There are many other kinds of sex besides sexual intercourse.
Both boys (men) and girls (women) can be virgins.
Hymen: no proof of virginity
You cannot see or feel that someone is a virgin. Not even a doctor can do this. This means that a doctor cannot check to see if someone has had sexual intercourse.
An examination of the hymen cannot be used to determine whether a woman has had sexual intercourse:
- The hymen is not a membrane that closes off the vagina. Therefore, there is nothing that is broken when a woman has sexual intercourse for the first time.
- A woman does not always bleed when she has sexual intercourse for the first time. It is equally common to not bleed as to bleed the first time. Therefore, there is no reason to perform an operation to construct a false hymen.
Woman lying down with her legs spread. The focus is on the visible sexual organs.
Detail of the hymen inside the vagina: a supple rim of tissue. The hymen is not a membrane that closes off the vagina.
Detail of a wider hymen that does not rip during sexual intercourse. This is what happens in most cases.
