Pain using two fingers: is my hymen still there?

Author: Aunt Vadge
Qualified Naturopath | BHSc(N)

Last reviewed: July 7, 2026

Hi Aunt Vadge,

I want to know why I feel only pain when I finger myself with two fingers. Have I still got my hymen?

Today I decided to take out my virginity. For a long time I have put a finger in during masturbation, and it felt normal. But today I used a carrot with lubricant and it took a long time to get in completely, and it hurt a lot. It felt like there was something around it that made it a lot harder.

Then I put two fingers in, which I’d tried before but couldn’t – now I can, but it didn’t feel pleasant at all. The only way I reach orgasm is masturbation. It didn’t bleed during any of that.

Have I still got my hymen? And could I have a problem with my vagina?

Yours sincerely,
Confused
Age: 18
Country: Brazil

Dear Confused,

There are a few things that could be going on here. The most likely explanation is the simplest, so let’s start there – but I’ll walk you through the others too, so you can rule them in or out. There’s also a general guide to pain with fingering and when it’s normal if you want the wider picture.

Your vagina isn’t turned on enough

This is really common when you first start using your vagina in a more ‘full’ way, penetrating with larger objects. You’re discovering what the inside feels like, and if you’re not properly aroused, the vagina can be quite tight. That tightness causes pain, because your muscles are pressing back against whatever you’ve put in.

The vagina naturally sits in a state of tension, but it’s very flexible under the right conditions. Getting it into a relaxed, penetrable state takes a bit of practice. Start with smaller objects, ease them in only as far as is comfortable, and notice what feels good. Save the bigger items for later.

Make sure you’re genuinely turned on before you put anything in, and use plenty of lube. Don’t push against yourself if it hurts – wiggle the object gently, change the angle, or try again another time. If it becomes clear you’re hitting a firm structure and it hurts, it might be one of the things below.

Diagram of the hymen at the vaginal opening

Your hymen may still partly exist

Your hymen sits right at the base of the vagina, at the opening. If you’ve been comfortably using a finger to masturbate, your hymen probably isn’t going to cause you pain deep inside. If it were the culprit, you’d feel it around the vaginal entrance, and it might radiate a little – not deep in.

Read our article on the hymen for the full picture. In short, it’s a membrane that stretches out over time, but hymens vary a lot – some are thicker, and they cover different amounts of the vaginal opening.¹

An anatomical variation

There’s also a chance you have a structure inside your vagina that isn’t usually there – a vaginal septum – that your fingers or the carrot are pressing against. A transverse septum runs horizontally across the vagina, roughly halfway up; a longitudinal septum runs vertically and effectively splits it in two.²

These are more common than people realise, and they often aren’t discovered until this exact moment – the first time something goes in and it causes pain or bleeding.

This one is harder to work out on your own, so I’d rule out the first two possibilities before going looking for a septum. There are other variations it could be too, which tend to be a bit more involved, such as a partial vagina, where the top end of the vagina hasn’t formed fully.³ That can also cause pain, and usually comes with other signs you’d want to discuss with a doctor.

Get someone to take a look

If you keep trying and it’s always painful, or you can’t get anywhere, please see a doctor or sexual health clinic for an examination. They can look and tell you very quickly whether everything is as it should be, and help you find what’s causing the pain. This is a physical, internal check, so it’s the right job for a doctor rather than something we assess here.

The odds are you’re completely normal. It’s a funny little journey getting to know your vagina and what it likes – keep exploring gently, and write any time.

Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge

Imperforate hymen. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024.
Ludwin A, Lindheim SR, Bhagavath B, Martins WP, Ludwin I. Longitudinal vaginal septum: a proposed classification and surgical management. Fertil Steril. 2020;114(4):899–901.
Herlin MK, Petersen MB, Brännström M. Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome: a comprehensive update. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2020;15(1):214.

This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.