The hymen is a thin membrane that surrounds the opening of the vagina. Everyone’s hymen can be different, in thickness and or shape. The most common hymen shape is in the form of a half moon. Some women may experience light to moderate bleeding after the hymen is stretched or torn for the first time. There are many reasons why a women might have a torn or stretched hymen and vaginal sex isn’t the only one! Activities such as inserting a tampon, horseback riding, playing sports, or masturbation (aka fingering) can cause the hymen to stretch or tear. Most women won’t even know if their hymen is intact (or not) because many won’t experience any pain or bleeding, when it happens! It’s important to mention, that a torn or stretched hymen doesn’t mean that a women has had vaginal sex because it can happen for a lot of reasons.
Only a health care provider (HCP) can tell you if you’ve torn or stretched your hymen. That being said, we don’t recommend that you intentionally break your hymen either. It’s important to mention, that if a guy really likes you, it won’t matter whether or not you bleed after you have had sex.