The hymen is a crescent-shaped thin membrane that covers part of the vaginal opening see diagram below. This occurs especially if the opening in the hymen is small or there is pain with insertion. Some women may have a few spots of blood the first time they have sex, others do not. There is no sure way of knowing if someone has ever had sexual intercourse. In the old days, people believed that a woman was a virgin only if she bled the first time she had vaginal intercourse with a male partner. While some people still believe this myth, many people realize that sex can be with someone of the same or different gender and many women do not bleed from their hymen the first time they have vaginal sex. If a woman does bleed, it is usually just a few drops of blood. Will I lose my virginity if I use tampons? Most people agree that a virgin is someone who has never had sex with a partner.

Global problem
What is a hymen?
Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Story highlights Author Naomi Wolf says recent controversies reveal biased views toward women's bodies The Pussy Riot trial and Arab Spring protests showed women stripped of autonomy Women's bodies are battlegrounds used to wage culture wars, Wolf says It's scandalous when women take ownership of their own bodies, Wolf contends.
Test procedures
The belief that it is easier to discern the virgin state of a woman than a man is more fable than fact, argues medical anthropologist Sherria Ayuandini. Unfortunately, it is still widely believed and practised to subjugate women. The Human Rights Watch condemned the test as a form of gender-based violence and called on the military to end the practice immediately, which it says violates the prohibition of inhuman treatment under international human rights law. Many pointed out the injustice of the practice, arguing that it is sexist, painful and traumatising. They also point out that virginity is irrelevant to whether or not an officer would be able to do her police duty. Virginity testing is not unique to Indonesia. Turkey, Egypt, Morocco and Iraq, to name a few, have had their fair share of controversial virginity testing. In Turkey in the s , five students attempted suicide rather than be subjected to the test, so it was subsequently banned. The ways the test is done could vary from one place to another. In some places in Iraq, the test is visual.
A virginity test is the practice and process of determining whether a person, usually a female, is a virgin ; i. The test typically involves a check for the presence of an intact hymen , on the flawed assumption that it can only be torn as a result of sexual intercourse. Virginity testing is widely considered controversial, both because of its implications for the tested girls and women and because it is viewed as unethical. The process of virginity testing varies by region. In areas where medical doctors are available, the tests would often be given in a doctor's office. Another form of virginity testing involves testing for laxity of vaginal muscles with fingers the "two-finger test". A doctor performs the test by inserting a finger into the female's vagina to check the level of vaginal laxity, which is used to determine if she is "habituated to sexual intercourse". Examinations to test for previous sexual activity used to be performed on rape victims in Bangladesh , Pakistan and India before it was banned.