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Hymen

The hymen is a thin and elastic ring of tissue that surrounds the vaginal entrance. It can look different and change, for example due to exercise, sexual activity or childbirth. There is no "normal" shape or thickness of the hymen, each hymen is different and individual. In the past (and to some extent still today) it was wrongly assumed that an undamaged hymen is an indicator of virginity, but this is not the case. The hymen can be damaged in many ways, for example through sport, the use of tampons or through natural development during puberty. There are also cases where a hymen remains intact even after a person has been sexually active. Therefore, it is not possible to determine whether someone has had penetrative / circular sex based on the condition of the hymen.