I was wondering if masturbating would take away my virginity? (I'm female.)

M.

Masturbation will not take away your virginity. A virgin, by definition, is someone who has not had sexual intercourse. Masturbation is not sexual intercourse. If you insert your fingers or other objects into your vagina, you may disrupt your hymen (the membrane that stretches across the opening and is typically broken during first-time sex), but if you have not had sex, then you are still a virgin. There are many ways a woman can break her hymen accidentally without having sex, and none of them take away her virginity.

In this day and age, with all the sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV) going around, maintaining your virginity is both admirable and smart!