Septate Hymen

[Jellowl]

Hello!
I recently found out that I have a septate hymen (when there is a thin band of tissue in front of my vaginal opening) after doing some self examinations. I never knew the word for it until I did some digging around.

It doesn't bug me at all in anyways that I can think of; no types of pain. Sex doesn't hurt at all and there is no discomfort putting in a tampon, though I do not prefer tampons in general. But I was wondering if this could impact me negatively in the future. Will lt randomly break by some force and cause damage to me? When I get my first pap smear, will they reccomend surgery to fix it? (I am terrified of this idea). And if I ever choose to become a mother, will this make childbirth impossible or unbearably painful?

Is it possible that the band of tissue could tear away on it's own over time without any pain?

Thanks for the advice, have a lovely day

[Heather]

One of the most interesting cases a friend of mine told me about years ago when she was doing hymen/corona research for a book was about a woman who had started labor with a septa the hymen... and finished delivery, with it still just as much there as it was before. I thought that was pretty awesome.

But it's also not that surprising the tissue of the corona is very, very elastic. It is also very thin, so the idea it could in any way hurt you isn't based in reality. It also can easily be moved to the side for a Pap smear, for tampon use, for sex, and yep, for childbirth. However, that case up there is not an example of how this usually goes. What's more likely is that by the time you're giving birth, this tissue will probably have worn away on its own. That's not just possible, but probable.

There's nothing to worry about with this, and while removing it would literally be a single snip you wouldn't even feel, it also is not something that would likely ever be medically necessary, and is only something a healthcare provider would likely do because you asked them to.

[Jellowl]

Thank you very much for the response! You've put my mind at ease

Quick question and sorry if this seems rather dull and dumb. If I have a septate hymen and use a tampon, will blood sometimes sneak through the other hole by mistake? I haven't used tampons enough to figure this out on my own. (Got a nasty bladder infection last time I used one. This was probably an unfortunate coincidence but it sure put me off from using them)

[Sam W]

Hi Jellowl,

In theory the tampon sits far enough back that it will still absorb everything, although some people find you can get leakage from a tampon that's not quite sitting right or has filled up quickly. So if you were to use a tampon and have it leak, things like that are a more likely cause than your hymen.

[Nooneknowsme]

Woah that’s mad , I can’t even use a tampon , well I did once and got it stuck and it hurt so bad getting it out . Today acatully I went my gp about my septate hymen finally and he had never seen one before (great....) so he has referred me to a gynaecologist. So wish me luck

[Sam W]

Hi Nooneknowsme,

That sounds like an unpleasant situation! If you're looking for support or advice on it, I'm going to ask that you please make a new thread in order to do so.