A woman who waited over 40 years to have sex for the first time went on to discover that she has a rare medical condition that makes being intimate with someone difficult.
Sarah Jones-Green, 44, was brought up in a Christian household and wanted to wait until marriage to have sex out of respect for her religious beliefs.
She also saw intimacy as 'something special' and didn't want to lose her virginity to a one-night stand or casual fling.
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In 2020, at the age of 40, she met her now-husband, Martin Green, 44, a marketer, on dating app Bumble and married him on September 28, 2024.
On their wedding night, they attempted to have sex for the first time, but the new bride found it too painful.
She spoke to her GP soon afterwards, who performed a physical examination and found Sarah has a condition called a microperforate hymen — a health condition where the hymen is very thick but has a single, small opening.
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According to Mayo Clinic, this is a rare condition that a person is born with.
The website further explains: "If you have a microperforate hymen, your hymen covers your vagina other than a small opening. This hole can allow for menstruation but may cause other painful symptoms."
Sarah is now on the waiting list for a hymenectomy, which is a surgical procedure to remove extra tissue from the hymen and says being able to have sex would make her feel 'complete'.
Sarah, a marketer, from Greenwich, London, said: "I'm a virgin bride — and I don't want to be — having sex would make me feel like a 'normal' newlywed.
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"I didn't have any inkling about this condition before, I literally only realised something was wrong when Martin and I tried to have sex for the first time.
"I'd waited such a long time. I just wanted to experience what everyone else has. It's frustrating, and I've been feeling really down about it."
Going on to recall their wedding night, Sarah said that she felt an 'aching' sensation when they tried to do it and the newlywed says the excitement quickly disappeared.
She became upset and felt 'abnormal' and she wanted to get it sorted as quickly as possible so made an appointment with her GP later in the week.
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"I wanted to get it seen to straight away," Sarah said. "We just couldn't work out how to have sex without pain — Martin was fine, but I was really frustrated.
"I remembered my mum had the same issue on her wedding night, and wondered if her problem was hereditary."
Sarah's late mother had waited until marriage to have sex as well.
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Sarah shared: "My hymen is unusually rigid, and people are born with it. The GP offered me dilators but they sounded too painful, so I'm going for surgery.
"I haven't got my consultation until August, but a private procedure is looking to cost around £1,000."
Topics: Health, Life, News, Sex and Relationships, Mental Health
Niamh Shackleton