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Here's what you need to know (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.u.k.)

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

Not with the human action itself (don't worry the basics are still the same) but with your body and, in particular, your hymen.

Online message boards are filled with concerned women who oasis't had sex activity for several years and are unsure whether their hymen may have grown back.

Worries include if it means they are technically a virgin again and if it is going to hurt when they exercise choose to have sexual practice once 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's Centre.

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

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

But why doesn't information technology abound back again?

'The hymen can't grow back as it's simply 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 nevertheless virgins.

'The hymen stretches and tears not just through penetrative sex only likewise during do or while inserting a tampon or other objects into the vagina.

'Also if a woman relaxes, uses lubrication and digitally stretches the hymen, then it might non tear during intercourse.

Lots of women have shared their concerns on online message boards (Pic: Oscar Wong/Getty)

'So, you lot tin can't definitely tell if someone is a virgin if they accept 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 civilization.

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

'This is called hymenoplasty and tin can exist performed with different surgical techniques under local or full general anaesthesia.

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

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

One of the other things you may be worried about earlier you bound dorsum in the saddle (so to speak) is if information technology going to hurt?

You're not alone.

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

If it will hurt or not (and how much information technology may injure) volition vary depending on your historic period.

What is a hymen?

A hymen is a thin layer of tissue that partially covers the opening of the vagina – partially not completely.

Information technology's commonly institute ane-ii cm inside the vaginal opening.

When a adult female has vaginal penetrative sex for the first fourth dimension, the hymen usually stretches and/or tears.

It doesn't only happen with sexual intercourse.

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

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

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

Later the menopause and due to the lack of estrogen notwithstanding, the symptoms volition have longer to resolve and will require treatment.

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

Sexual intercourse tin can be painful and accompanied past vaginal bleeding.

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

(Motion picture: JohnnyGreig/Getty)

These women could exist anile 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.

'Almost all women in this age grouping will exist sexually active,' said Dr Athanasias (it's really thought to be 87% of 31-45-year-olds).

'As the vaginal tissue becomes dry and thin, sexual activity can become very uncomfortable and many women even describe 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 go along to enjoy a good for you sexual activity life even after menopause.

Dr Athanasias explained that vaginal lubricants and moisturisers can help but information technology is the local estrogen, which is available in vaginal cream or tablets, that aims to care for the underlying cause and not just the symptoms.

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

'In the past there were not whatsoever available treatment options and unfortunately those women had to avoid sexual practice and learn to live with their status.'

Fortunately, in contempo years there have been developments to help make it more than comfortable for women to have sex later on the menopause.

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

Information technology has meant that women take been able to go on their sexual practice life into old age.

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

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

'I'1000 extremely pleased with the results and the large number of women we are able to aid.'

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