Nigeria, Oct. 3 -- As more women consider menstrual cups as an option for managing their periods, questions have emerged about whether using them can affect the hymen or a woman's virginity.

Some people fear that inserting a menstrual cup could "break" the hymen, cause a woman to lose her virginity or permanently make the vagina "loose".

Speaking with PT Health Watch, Elizabeth Adewale, a Certified Holistic Sex Educator and Public Health Professional, said many of these concerns stem from misconceptions about the hymen and what it means medically to be a virgin.

According to Ms Adewale, inserting a menstrual cup can stretch the hymen and, in some cases, may cause a small tear, but "this does not mean that a woman has lost her virginity...