Q: I am still a virgin, so I am ignorant about sex. Everyone talks about popping your cherry. Is this inside my vagina, or on the outside? What rips during intercourse?
Dr. Klein: “Popping your cherry” is a slang expression that has nothing to do with either popping or cherries. It simply means “having your first intercourse.” Most women are born with a thin membrane across the front of their vaginal opening, called a hymen. If it has not been broken by exercise, accident, or masturbation, it tears the first time a woman has intercourse. It can hurt a little and bleed some, so be gentle with yourself and arrange for a friendly, patient experience the first time you have intercourse.