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

If you are a woman and haven't had sex for a while, you may be concerned that things have changed.

Not with the human activity itself (don't worry the nuts are still the same) but with your body and, in particular, 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 take grown back.

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

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

To explicate why, I spoke to Dr Pandelis Athanasias, consultant gynaecologist at London Women'southward Middle.

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

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

Just why doesn't it grow back again?

'The hymen can't grow back as it's just stretched and torn tissue without the ability to regenerate,' said Dr Athanasias.

'Nosotros occasionally have patients calling and requesting appointments in order to clarify whether they are still virgins.

'The hymen stretches and tears non merely through penetrative sex simply 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 have shared their concerns on online bulletin boards (Film: Oscar Wong/Getty)

'And then, yous can't definitely tell if someone is a virgin if they have a hymen or is not a virgin if they don't have a hymen.'

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

'In some cultures a woman losing her virginity before matrimony can accept 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 amazement.

'I don't perform those procedures and we don't accept reliable statistics regarding the number of women undergoing hymen restoration surgery in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland every year.'

Will sex injure if I oasis't had sexual activity for a while?

One of the other things y'all may be worried about earlier yous leap back in the saddle (and then 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 afterward months or years of forbearance.

If it will hurt or not (and how much information technology 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 not completely.

It's usually found 1-2 cm inside the vaginal opening.

When a woman has vaginal penetrative sex for the first fourth dimension, the hymen normally 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 all the same in her reproductive years she might experience some discomfort considering it tin take longer for the vagina to not bad and become lubricated during sexual arousal and the pelvic muscles aren't used to having sexual activity,' Dr Athanasias says.

'The symptoms usually resolve soon and a vaginal lubricant is all yous demand.'

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

The vaginal lining becomes thinner, drier and after sore because of a status chosen vaginal cloudburst.

Sexual intercourse can exist painful and accompanied by vaginal bleeding.

And, while the average age of reaching the menopause is 51 years sometime, many women become through the change prematurely.

(Picture: JohnnyGreig/Getty)

These women could exist aged in their 30s or 40s and go through menopause either naturally or after surgical removal of the ovaries or possibly after chemotherapy to treat cancer.

'About all women in this age group volition be sexually active,' said Dr Athanasias (it'due south really thought to be 87% of 31-45-yr-olds).

'Equally the vaginal tissue becomes dry and thin, sex can get very uncomfortable and many women even describe it equally impossible.'

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

In that location are treatments available which mean you and your partner can continue to relish a healthy sex life even after menopause.

Dr Athanasias explained that vaginal lubricants and moisturisers tin help merely it is the local estrogen, which is available in vaginal foam or tablets, that aims to treat the underlying cause and non only the symptoms.

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

'In the by there were not whatever bachelor treatment options and unfortunately those women had to avoid sex activity and larn to live with their condition.'

Fortunately, in recent years there accept been developments to help make information technology more comfortable for women to have sex subsequently the menopause.

At Dr Athanasias's clinic, he uses the CO2 vaginal laser therapy which, he says, has shown outstanding results in treating women with vaginal atrophy and helping menopausal women to resume sexual intercourse.

It has meant that women have been able to continue their sex life into quondam age.

He added: 'Many of my patients are in their 70s and 80s and the satisfaction charge per unit afterward the treatment is almost 90%.

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

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

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