READER’S QUESTION : Hello Reen, I have been considering using a tampon lately for my period but I have a slight issue, I’m still a virgin and my hymen is still intact. Do I still go ahead and use a tampon? I’m afraid that I will tear my hymen and it would hurt and I might not be a virgin anymore. Please help, what do I do?
REEN’S ADVICE: Hello there reader, your question resonates with that of so many young women around the world today. The first thing to note is that what we use during our periods don’t and shouldn’t matter because our comfort should come first. Although, you stated that your hymen is still present and you don’t wish to tear it while inserting, that’s a good thing.
Maybe you should try sticking to sanitary pads. Other menstrual hygiene products involve being inserted like the menstrual cup and tampon. Pads on the other hand are just worn in our undies.
If you’re not comfortable wearing a tampon then there’s no need to be thinking of one. Don’t let anyone or anything rush you into trying a new method that doesn’t suit right with you.
Now you would be wondering, is the presence of a hymen really a proof of virginity? The answer to this is both a yes and no. Yes on the hand that for thousands of years, it has always been a way for people to tell if a woman was still innocent or not. Her hymen is meant to be untouched and she should bleed on her first night of sex. Although in recent years, it has been debunked that virgins don’t necessarily have to bleed during their first sex.
And now to the no part, some women are born without a hymen. Can someone walk up to a girl who was born with no hymen and have never had sex and tell her that because she has no hymen, she isn’t a virgin? The hymen is a thin layer of tissue which covers the opening of the vagina.
It’s rare for some women to be born without a hymen the same way it is for a woman to be born with an impeforate— entirely closed hymen leaving no opening for her period to pass through.
If you’re afraid of using a tampon then our advice is this, don’t use it, stick to the sanitary pad. It would save you the mental stress. All menstrual products are good but while choosing which product to use, keep yourself in mind because at the end of the day, your comfort is all that matters.
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Gracie Felix 
Nnenna Uchendu