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Here's what yous demand to know (Movie: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

If you are a adult female and haven't had sexual practice for a while, you may be concerned that things have changed.

Not with the act itself (don't worry the basics are still the same) just with your torso and, in detail, your hymen.

Online message boards are filled with concerned women who haven't had sex for several years and are unsure whether their hymen may accept grown dorsum.

Worries include if it means they are technically a virgin once again and if it is going to hurt when they do choose to have sex again.

The simple answer is no, your hymen will not abound back.

To explain why, I spoke to Dr Pandelis Athanasias, consultant gynaecologist at London Women'due south Middle.

Dr Athanasias said many people believed the hymen completely covered the vaginal archway and breaks during vaginal penetration.

However, he said he would describe it as a small tear on a thin layer of tissue which is usually accompanied by some bleeding.

But why doesn't it abound back once again?

'The hymen tin't abound back as it's only stretched and torn tissue without the power to regenerate,' said Dr Athanasias.

'We occasionally accept patients calling and requesting appointments in gild to clarify whether they are all the same virgins.

'The hymen stretches and tears non just through penetrative sex activity merely likewise during exercise or while inserting a tampon or other objects into the vagina.

'Also if a woman relaxes, uses lubrication and digitally stretches the hymen, then information technology might not tear during intercourse.

Lots of women take shared their concerns on online bulletin boards (Picture: Oscar Wong/Getty)

'And so, you can't definitely tell if someone is a virgin if they have a hymen or is non a virgin if they don't have a hymen.'

Dr Athanasias said he occasionally has telephone calls from women looking to have their hymen restored – particularly if sexual abstinence before marriage is important to their culture.

'In some cultures a woman losing her virginity before marriage can have consequences, hence the requests for repair or restoration of the hymen,' he says.

'This is called hymenoplasty and can be performed with different surgical techniques nether local or general anaesthesia.

'I don't perform those procedures and nosotros don't have reliable statistics regarding the number of women undergoing hymen restoration surgery in the UK every yr.'

Volition sex hurt if I haven't had sex for a while?

1 of the other things y'all may be worried nearly before you lot jump back in the saddle (so to speak) is if it going to hurt?

You're not alone.

Dr Athanasias said he spoke to many women who have concerns when they are resuming sex after months or years of abstinence.

If it will hurt or not (and how much it may hurt) will vary depending on your age.

What is a hymen?

A hymen is a thin layer of tissue that partially covers the opening of the vagina – partially non completely.

It'due south usually found one-2 cm inside the vaginal opening.

When a woman has vaginal penetrative sex for the first time, the hymen ordinarily stretches and/or tears.

It doesn't only happen with sexual intercourse.

The hymen can stretch or tear during exercise or tampon insertion.

'When the woman is still in her reproductive years she might experience some discomfort because it tin can accept longer for the vagina to keen and go lubricated during sexual arousal and the pelvic muscles aren't used to having sex,' Dr Athanasias says.

'The symptoms usually resolve shortly and a vaginal lubricant is all you need.'

After the menopause and due to the lack of estrogen however, the symptoms will have longer to resolve and will require treatment.

The vaginal lining becomes thinner, drier and subsequently sore considering of a condition chosen vaginal atrophy.

Sexual intercourse tin can exist painful and accompanied by vaginal bleeding.

And, while the boilerplate historic period of reaching the menopause is 51 years former, many women go through the change prematurely.

(Picture show: JohnnyGreig/Getty)

These women could be aged in their 30s or 40s and go through menopause either naturally or after surgical removal of the ovaries or perchance later on chemotherapy to care for cancer.

'Well-nigh all women in this historic period group will be sexually active,' said Dr Athanasias (it's really thought to be 87% of 31-45-twelvemonth-olds).

'Equally the vaginal tissue becomes dry out and thin, sex can get very uncomfortable and many women even draw information technology as impossible.'

Your sex activity life doesn't have to be over – hurrah!

There are treatments available which mean you and your partner can continue to enjoy a salubrious sex life even after menopause.

Dr Athanasias explained that vaginal lubricants and moisturisers can assist but it is the local estrogen, which is available in vaginal cream or tablets, that aims to treat the underlying crusade and not but the symptoms.

'The treatment of vaginal atrophy tin can be challenging when topical estrogen fails to make a departure or is contraindicated (cannot be used in certain cases),' he says.

'In the past in that location were not whatever available treatment options and unfortunately those women had to avoid sex and learn to alive with their condition.'

Fortunately, in recent years in that location take been developments to help brand information technology more comfortable for women to accept sex after the menopause.

At Dr Athanasias's dispensary, he uses the CO2 vaginal light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation therapy which, he says, has shown outstanding results in treating women with vaginal cloudburst and helping menopausal women to resume sexual intercourse.

It has meant that women have been able to go on their sex life into onetime historic period.

He added: 'Many of my patients are in their 70s and 80s and the satisfaction rate subsequently the treatment is almost 90%.

'I used to be skeptical regarding vaginal laser treatments but afterward traveling to the Usa and Italy (pioneers in laser handling) and talking to patients and clinicians I was convinced to introduce the handling in our clinic.

'I'chiliad extremely pleased with the results and the big number of women we are able to help.'

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