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Welcome to
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‘Let's talk about It’ podcast brought to you by Laaha.
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Laaha is an open online platform where women and girls
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can get information about their health, well-being and safety.
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Please remember all content provided on the platform
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is based on scientific knowledge for educational purposes only.
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It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice
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or treatment.
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My name is Gabrielle and I'm here to talk with you about your virginity.
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A virgin is a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse.
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It's a popular myth that the hymen is the marker of virginity,
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and the idea of virginity has often been linked to breaking the hymen.
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The belief that there is a mysterious, transparent barrier in the vagina
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that only virgins have is ridiculous at best and not scientifically accurate.
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Bleeding after sex has been incorrectly claimed to be proof of an unbroken hymen
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and thus proof that a woman has not had sex before.
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However, you should know that your hymen can break in a variety of ways
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outside from having sex, and some women are born without one.
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In this episode I will answer five main questions
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about the hymen and virginity that you need to know.
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So let's start with the first question.
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What is your hymen?
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Your hymen is a thin fold of membrane around the vaginal opening,
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kind of like a piece of plastic wrap about 1 to 2 centimeters
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inside your vaginal opening.
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Chances are that even if your hymen is intact, you won't be able to see it.
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It's thin and fleshy, colored in a place where you have flaps and
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The hymen is just a part of the vaginal canal,
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that really doesn't serve a purpose.
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We do not entirely know what causes the tearing of the hymen,
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but it's totally normal
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and happens to everyone.
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Question number two: How can the hymen break?
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We know now that some people are born without hymens and some people's
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hymens can be broken from doing ordinary things like gymnastics or using a tampon.
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What is important is not
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whether someone hymen is broken or they have engaged in sexual behaviors,
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but that they choose to have sex when it is healthy and right for them.
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Now, what does it feel like when your hymen breaks
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You can break your hymen by moving around without even knowing it.
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Some women notice some light bleeding.
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Some women don't blead at all.
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It's different for everyone.
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Once your hymen has been broken, it doesn't grow back.
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If my hymen is broken, does it mean my virginity is broken too?
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Virginity is not something that breaks.
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Being a virgin has nothing to do with your hymen.
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It means that you haven't had consensual penetrative sex.
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Sharing your body with another person for the first time or losing
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your virginity should be your choice and happen only with your consent.
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If I have been raped, have I lost my virginity?
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Rape is a crime and never your fault.
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Sharing your body with another person for the first time or losing
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your virginity is based on consensual penetrative sex.
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Rape is not consensual.
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If you have more questions or would like to talk to someone,
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please feel free to find the contact details
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of a service provider near you by clicking on: ‘Get Help’
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or to search for more articles
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using the search function or the chat bot.