What About Septate Hymens...?!?!

This semester I'll be taking a course called 'Human Sexuality' which, surprisingly, is actually a requirement for my major. To be honest, even if it wasn't a requirement, I would have still been interested in taking it. Anyways, I received the textbook for the class the other day in the mail and as I typically do as soon as I receive all of my textbooks, I flipped through it. I was particularly interested in seeing if they mentioned something about septate hymens.

They didn't.

Our Sexuality...$150 later...

Chapter 3 is dedicated to the female anatomy and flipping through it, I saw more vaginas then I wanted to. The textbook itself verges on porn with extremely graphic photos of different sex positions...but I digress. I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, that based on the detail given about all of the other lady parts, that this textbook would FINALLY discuss the infamous septate hymen. I was very disappointed to see that, once again, it was left out.

How about them apples...?

However, they did discuss, ever so briefly, the imperforate hymen. If you don't know what the imperforate hymen is, you can read more about it here. My understanding is that the authors, Crooks and Baur, decided that this hymen was worth mentioning because it is the only one that requires attention ASAP. With that being said, this is a college level textbook and anyone with this type of hymen would have likely realized they had it/gotten the necessary surgery already. 

What about septate hymens?!

As you all know, the main reason for this blog and for my appearance on MTV's Virgin Territory is to raise awareness of septate hymens. While it doesn't require immediate attention, it still has the power to really screw up someone's life if it goes unnoticed. My proposal to the authors of this textbook is to include septate hymens in the next edition of Our Sexuality. We need to start raising awareness to the other variations in hymens. Every person who has approached me about the MTV show has told me that they had never heard of septate hymens before I opened up about it. This needs to change...for all of the girls out there, whether they are aware or not of their extra band of tissue.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

So it's the morning after my episode (also the season finale) of Virgin Territory premiered and despite only getting 5 hours of sleep last night, I'm on top of the world!!! As cheesy as this sounds, I can't even find the right words to describe how I felt last night. It felt like Christmas morning.

This journey started when I was born. Unbeknownst to me or my parents, I would grow up with a rare type of hymen. When I was 16 and found out what it was, I would always ask why I had to be one of few to have been born with a septate hymen. The process to remove it was emotionally taxing and forced me to confront a lot of mental issues I had as a result. I was given the opportunity of a lifetime when MTV called to tell me I was selected for Virgin Territory.

I got so much hate for filming the show. It hurt to have people I called my good friends gossip, spread rumors, and look down on me for being a virgin. I'm happy to report that those people are now removed from my life. Haters are always gonna hate. Or as T. Swift says, "people throw rocks at things that shine."

All I ever wanted out of this show was to help one girl. 5 years ago, I would've loved having someone to look up to who was going through the same things as me. I decided to be that role model and make an example out of myself in the hopes that girls everywhere would feel like they could have someone to look up to and talk to. For everyone else, my goal was to educate the world on an issue some girls face that few people know much about.

I guess the point of this post is to say THANK YOU to all of the people who supported me during the surgery, during the emotional aftermath, during production for the show, and to all of my new followers whose tweets last night made this entire journey worth it.

Thanks to everyone who tweeted their support...especially these guys.

Now for some personal thank yous:

To my mom, I don't think I'll ever be able to truly thank you enough for everything that you've done for me. Knowing that I made you proud means everything to me. Thanks for raising Laura and I to be the strong, confident women we are today.

To my sister, Laura, all of those years playing with dolls I never ever thought I'd have a real life"Bratz Rock Angelz" moment. Thanks for playing along with all of my crazy ideas even though I never finished any of them...We've definitely made the Bratz proud.

To my boyfriend, Jesse, the day I met you I never thought this would be how our lives turned out. Thanks for waiting for me, for pushing me to keep moving forward, and for always caring about me. You are the reason why I even bothered to go to the doctor and have the surgery in the first place.

To Dr. Karen Ruskin, I've already thanked you a million times, but once again, thank you for helping me get through my mental block! If it wasn't for your help, I would still be the same scared girl who you met during my first session.

Flowers from my favorites. :)

For the first time since this journey began, I can finally see the reason for all of this happening. That's my favorite part of life - being able to reflect on the journey and finally see the truth. I wasn't born with a septate hymen because God wanted me to suffer. I was born with a septate hymen so I could someday educate and empower women who were just like me. I feel like I've been handed the key to the world. It's a really cool feeling to know that you are actually impacting lives. I'm incredibly blessed to have been born the way I was and I'm incredibly blessed to have some of my biggest dreams come true. And, of course, I'm so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life. Thank you.

Post Virgin Territory Update!

Hi everyone! I decided to write this post to update you on what has happened since I filmed for MTV's Virgin Territory. If you'd like to read more about why I quit the show, you can click here.

1. I am no longer a virgin. Despite that the editing that suggested I lost it at the end of my segment, I actually lost it about a month after filming. It was a truly beautiful moment that I will never forget.
2. I've been working on a special project for girls with septate hymens. It's a website that I'm hoping will become a positive resource for girls to chat with other girls experiencing the same kinds of things. (Side note: if you have/had a septate hymen, I want to hear your story and feature it on my blog! Send me an email at SeptateSisters@yahoo.com!!)
3. Jesse and I are still together and plan on being together forever and ever and ever. Yes, we still go out on every 'monthiversary.'
4. Sex is now a huge part of our relationship. We are enjoying (finally!) a fantastic physical relationship.
5. Jesse and I live together now! Wheeeeeeee! Living with your best friend is the absolute best thing ever.

Well, there you have it! Any other questions about filming or anything that wasn't clear to you on the show, let me know in the comments or by sending an email to SeptateSisters@yahoo.com!

P.S. Stay tuned for more information on my website launch! :) :) :)

Virgin Territory: Meet the Cast

Recently, MTV published an article featuring the remaining 10 virgins. Below is my little blurb! I'm so proud to be raising awareness for septate hymens! :)

Read about my other castmates here and don't forget to watch MTV's Virgin Territory every Wednesday night at 11/10c!