The first thing to note is that the hymen is a stretchy and flexible membrane, so it doesn’t “break.” Sometimes (not always), the hymen can tear when you have penetrative sex for the first time. The hymen can also stretch and tear for reasons unrelated to sex, like while playing sports or using a tampon. If your hymen tears when you have sex for the first time, you might feel a bit of pain or discomfort and even bleed a little bit — or not.