First, you need to consider how to consider virginity itself. Traditionally, a woman’s ‘intact’ hymen was judged to be the yardstick for determining virginity. The presence of blood due to hymen rupture was supposed to indicate the loss of virginity. However, the current view is that a girl is considered to be a virgin until she experiences sexual intercourse. The presence or absence of a hymen no longer determines the state of being a virgin. The reason, is that the hymen can rupture due to any number of normal, everyday activities. To better understand this, let us consider the hymen itself.
The hymen is a mucous membrane that is a part of the vulva (external genitalia). It partially covers the vaginal opening. Before puberty, many girls report a very sensitive hymen. Post-puberty it tends to becomes denser and more resistant. Of course, the hymen rarely completely blocked the vagina since an opening is required for discharge of urine and menstrual blood. Hence, there is a ‘hymenal ring’ that is elastic. In some cases, it has been found that a woman does not experience any bleeding during her first act of sexual intercourse simply because the hymenal ring has stretched to accommodate the penis. In addition, active women can lose their hymen without ever having sexual intercourse. Common activities like running, physical sports, accidents and injuries, and even cycling can tear the hymen. In addition, the hymen can also break during the course of a regular OBGY examination or during masturbation.
The reason many women are worried about the effect of tampons on the hymen is that it needs to be inserted inside the vagina. The more traditional sanitary pads are placed to absorb menstrual blood after it leaves the body. Tampons have similar absorbent material compressed in a tiny, tube-like shape. This is inserted into the vagina where it absorbs the blood before it leaves the vagina. It is advised that a tampon be changed every 5-6 hours to reduce the risks of vaginal infections. This means a woman uses several tampons during a normal 5-day of menses. In most cases, a woman can easily glide in a tampon around the hymenal ring without damaging the hymen itself. However, in some cases usage of a tampon can tear the hymen, especially in cases where the hymenal ring is constrictive. If you are unsure whether your hymen can accommodate a tampon, please use sanitary pads.