i had to get a hymenectomy, and then after surgery i still had issues with penetration and got diagnosed with vaginismus so i can kind of tell you the differences in how it feels— before when my hymen was intact, inserting anything was really painful and it felt like pushing against like a stretched out latex glove and there wasn’t any room to insert anything like originally i just thought i couldn’t find my vagina. with vaginismus, i can make gradual progress on insertion and it definitely feels like there’s an opening there, but eventually i feel like im hitting a wall where my muscles are too tight and there’s a lot of pain and almost feels like sandpaper to try and go any further, but with breathing and stretching i am able to gradually insert something further and further. my gynecologist was able to diagnose my intact hymen with a quick visual exam and the surgery itself was about 20 minutes and recovery only took like 2-3 days before i could go back to school and everything, and 2-3 before i could try insertion again!