Dear Readers,

P. writes 'Lifeline' from Hayes, Clarendon. She asks some interesting questions.

"If a virgin inserts an object regularly inside her vagina while masturbating is she still a virgin? Or is it that a female must have intercourse with a man to lose her virginity?" She also asks, "Do all virgins bleed when they first have intercourse?"

The medical term 'Virgo-Intacta' means that the female hymen is intact (present) and has not been breached in any way. Once the female's hymen has been breached by natural methods (coitus) or by a foreign object such as a dildo and the hymen has been obliterated, then physically, medically and technically speaking, her virginity has been lost. For example, when a virgin has to have her hymen removed surgically to perform procedures on her cervix or uterus, such as when a dilatation and curettage (D+C) is performed, then technically, she is no longer a virgin.

However, from a moral or a religious standpoint, when coitus has not taken place, that is, the insertion of the male penis into the female vagina, then the woman, socially, is still deemed to be a virgin.

Prior to sexual intercourse

Many women lose their hymen prior to sexual intercourse, especially active women who dance, jump, ride cycles, do karate, etc. These women often do not even realize that their hymen has been ruptured and it is only when they first become sexually active that they may marvel that the act of intercourse was pain free. These women are still morally and religiously virgins.

The issue becomes more complex when the matter of same sex female couples who are 'sexually' active is considered. Are these women still virgins? Some questions are just not easily answered.

Where same sex female partners have had their hymens breached using any object inserted into the vagina they are technically no longer virgins. As they perform sexual acts with each other, it may be that in the moral sense they are also no longer virgins. Ultimately, however, this is a medical, social and religious issue with only the medical, definition of virginity being clear and well defined.

All virgins do not necessarily bleed at the time they first experience penetrative intercourse. This is because, as already mentioned, there are many physical activities, most sports-related and some medically related, which can partially or fully remove the hymen prior to sexual intercourse or vaginal penetration.

When this happens the woman has an easier induction into penetrative sexual intercourse, associated with less discomfort and no vaginal bleeding.

Write LifeLine

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