Hymen & virginity. How do I know when I've broken my hymen? I'm still a virgin, but I masturbate & use tampons

Question

I'm still a virgin. Put of course I finger myself and occasionally use tampons. There is that "One Less" shot now that I can get to protect me from cervical cancer. You need to be a virgin to get it. If I finger myself and use tampons, is my hymen broken? How can I tell if it's broken? Am I a virgin still? Can I still get the shot?

Answer 1

* You can still get the shot *

The shot against Human Papiloma Virus, which is the number one cause of cervical cancer; you can get this shot whether you are a virgin or not it is simply recommended to be given before you become sexually active as HPV is an STD.
You are given three shots over a six month period, there are various discussions going on about this because people aren't happy about giving a shot against STD's to girls when they are so young – parents don't like thinking about their children being sexually active and worry it may add to risks that some girls may have sex before they are old enough.
I have yet to see any mention of side effects, but shots are something you need to be very well informed about, I would not advise you get it unless you know more about it.

* We cannot tell you if your hymen is broken, but you can tell yourself *

Not all girls have hymens, and the hymen can be different from one person to the next, your hymen might be too thick to have been broken or stretched by masturbation or tampons or it could have broken without you knowing – not everyone experiences pain when their hymen breaks, sometimes it is even pleasurable when it breaks. You can tell if your hymen is broken or not by simply looking, the hymen is a thin layer that partly covers your vaginal opening so you can see it when you look at your vulva (the outer part of your genitals).

* You can tell if your hymen is broken with a self-exam *

It is easier to see if you can get yourself some time alone in your room, lay back on your bed with some pillows propping up your back so you can bend over enough to see, then get a mirror and look at your vulva making sure there is enough light to see. Your hymen when it is in tact will probably look like a little ring of skin around the opening of your vagina, where as if it is broken it will look like little flaps of skin around the opening to your vagina. There is a good web site here - http://www.healthystrokes.com/hymengallery.html - this shows different hymens, it has images not photos, I'd also advise this web site - http://www.ivf.com/vse.html - that shows you how to do a vulva self-exam, then this web site - http://www.fwhc.org/health/selfcare.htm - that shows how to do a cervical self-exam and last but not least this site - http://www.scarleteen.com/body/female_anatomy.html - that will tell you about your body and other important things.

* You are still a virgin until you have sex with another person *

Virginity is difficult as some people think you can only loose your virginity if a man puts his penis into your vagina, it doesn't matter how long for or how it feels. However that very ignorant and closed-minded definition because it ignores sex between two people of the same sex, or other forms of sex such as masturbation (between you and a partner or by yourself), oral sex, anal sex, etc. that women enjoy (only 30% of women orgasm from penetrative sex when a mans penis enters the vagina, men and women are made to enjoy different types of sex).
Most people however agree for you to have lost your virginity you have to have had sex with another person – if you have not had sex with another person you are a virgin.

It is very important you know your anatomy and how it all works, I would also point out here that tampons are very harmful to your vaginal health because they prevent normal vaginal cleaning, dry out vaginal walls causing splitting, give bacteria a place to multiply within the vagina and in the case of commercial tampons like Tampax they also introduce chemicals into your vagina that shouldn't be there.
Commercial tampons are the most harmful out of over twenty different menstrual options and the only to have contributed to the deaths of hundreds of women. Tampons are linked with vaginal infections, TSS, and period problems such as menstrual cramps. Tampons are higher risk to younger women because younger women don't have the same anti-bodies as adults and have thinner mucosa (skin) so more prone to irritation and splitting. This site can tell you more about tampon risks and issues - http://www.spotsite.org

I'd highly advise you stick to pads like cloth or organic pads, and free-flow methods until you know enough about your body and different menstrual options to make an educated choice about whether-or-not to use internal options. I'd then advice you look into safer options such as menstrual cups (e.g. Divacup) or softcups (e.g. Instead) because your vaginal health is very important and can cause serious problems if you are not careful about what you use and how you use it.

It is important to do all you can to avoid cancer, however bare in mind there are many things that are genuinely linked to cancer, such as many chemicals found in most commercial toiletries like shampoo and make-up, underage sex can heighten risk of cervical cancer due to STD's, cigarettes of course cause cancer, pollution and even tampons were once linked to cancer due to dioxin in the 1990's. The point is that you need to make an educated judgement about risks, and avoid the bigger risks the best you can. The shot may be a good idea but it is no good having the shot if you do not know what it is or what it could do to you.

Answer 2

DId you know that it's possible to be born without a hymen? Really, it is. So, would that make that newborn girl a non-virgin? Isn't that a ridiculous idea?

You are a virgin until you have vaginal intercourse for the first time.

Yes, you can and should get the shots. It's a series of 3 of them. They do help to protect you against the cervical cancers that are caused by some (but not all) of the types of HPV. Also, not all cervical cancers are caused by those HPV infections. But if there is anything that you can to do prevent developing any type of cancer you should do it. That includes never smoking.

Answer 3

Even if you break your hymen, you are still a virgin. You are a virgin until you have sexual intercourse. Most women don't know if their hymen is broken or not, because it can break so easily, but doing sports/exercises, or using tampons. You are still a virgin so you can still get the shot. :)

Answer 4

your still a virgin until you actually have intercourse no matter if your hymen is broke or not. and yes you can still get the shot you hymen might not be broken all the way but it is torn enough to get a tampon in

Answer 5

Yes, you can still get the shot. Losing your virginity is only something that can happen when you have sex with a guy. Using tampons won't make you lose your virginity and neither will masturbation. Only sex can do that.

Answer 6

yes you can get the shot. a virgin is classified as having sexual intercourse. although your hymen is stretched a little, you are still a virgin. you may want to check with you doctor and he can give you a test to make sure you healthy enough for the shot.

Answer 7

Yes you are a virgin because technically you havent had a penis enter you, thats when you become a non-virgin if you like. Also not every girl 'bleeds' when they first have sex so its not as obvious as that. Ask an expert like your doctor.

Answer 8

Your hymen can be broken by tampons.

Answer 9

your a virgin until a man or guy has sex with you. a tampon nor your fingers go up high enough to break your hymen

Answer 10

e mail me at [e-mail] and i will explain