I have never actually had sex, but I do masturbate - and I wonder if that is the reason why I produce this liquid?

I really want to have sexual intercourse, and to be good at it. I do get plenty of 'offers' from girls. However, at the moment I don't have the confidence to go with a female, because of my embarrassment over producing the fluid.

Please don't tell me I have a 'sexual dysfunction,' as I would be devastated by that!

A Yours is a real worried and embarrassed email, but do try to relax and quit fretting. Please understand that it is NORMAL for men to produce this clear fluid when they get sexually excited. The fluid has the popular name of 'pre-come' or 'pre-cum,'

But medically it is known as 'pre-ejaculate.'

It is not produced by the testicles, but by glands which are located near the urinary pipe. Its main function seems to be to provide a little lubrication at the head of the penis - thus making it easier for the man's organ to go into the woman.

One word of warning about pre-come: scientists have shown that it can sometimes contain sperms. In other words, it could make a woman pregnant!

The risk is not very great, but I have encountered two or three female patients who claimed that they had become pregnant from a partner's pre-ejaculate.

Therefore, please be careful. If you get this stuff inside a girl's vagina, that could just possibly cause her to conceive a baby.

This is one reason why it is so important to put on a condom BEFORE you enter a lady. If you do not put it on till halfway through, the pre-come which has already seeped out of your organ might perhaps make her pregnant.

Please try to stop feeling embarrassed about the fact that you produce this perfectly normal fluid when aroused. As your life goes on, you will find that many sophisticated women are actually pleased when a lover begins to secrete it. This is because they regard it as a tribute to their beautyand sexual attractiveness.

Finally, the fact that you produce healthy amounts of pre-come is nothing whatever to do with the fact that you have masturbated. Just hang on to the fact that you are NORMAL!

I am 37, and have not been sexually active for the past four years. My last three smear results were as follows:

June 2005: 'Benign. Repeat in one year.'

August 2006: 'CIN-One. Repeat in six months.'

March 2007: 'Normal. Repeat in one year.'

I am fretting about what these terms mean. Could you please answer these questions for me:

I am so scared.

A Please do NOT be scared. Everything is going to be OK. I have had to shorten your long letter a little. But let me reassure you that 'CIN-One' is the very mildest stage of changes that might - just MIGHT - lead to cancer one day.

However, in your case these changes went away of their own accord, and your smear of March this year was NORMAL. So that is real good news!

The changes probably were caused from Human Papilloma Virus reaching your cervix during sex, many years ago. However, that is nothing to be scared about. It is not generally realised that these days, most women have been exposed to HPV.

It is real unlikely that you will develop cancer before your next smear. However, you should make sure that you have it done on time - that is, before March 1, 2008.

I wish you well.

Is this true, doc?

A No! What your friendhas told you is foolishness. There is no way that losing your virginity can delay your menses by two weeks.

If your period is overdue, you have to consider the possibility that you might be pregnant - and take a pregnancy test.

A Unfortunately, the term 'liver spots' is NOT a medical one. Some folks (particularly Americans) use it to mean the flat brown spots which affect many people after the age of 50. As you are young, I am sure that this is NOT what you mean!

My guess is that at your age you probably have the small, speckled spots on the face, chest and arms that so often occur in hot countries. These so-called 'liver spots' are nothing to do with the liver, but are caused from a yeast which affects the skin.

A yeast is a little like a fungus. The species which causes 'liver spots' is called 'Malassezia furfur.' It can be removed from the skin by applying creams which contain one of the 'conazole' group of anti-yeast drugs.

Any pharmacy will sell this type of conazole-containing cream. But if it fails to shift the spots, see a doc.

During these attacks of pain, she is quite ill, has loose bowels, and also vomits a lot.

She has been to several doctors, but what they have recommended does not work very well. Also, she has taken all the painkillers you can think of, but they only help for a short while, and then the pain comes back.

This is a serious concern that requires your immediate attention.

A I am sorry to hear that she has had so much pain. As it has been going on for around 12 years, I am guessing that by now she must be at least 25 or 30.

What occurs to me is that in this age group, it is common for women to be badly afflicted with a disease called 'endometriosis.'

This is a disorder in which little pieces of womb tissue turn up in the wrong places. Each month, these pieces try and bleed - but they cannot, because there is no room for them to do so. Result: terrible pain.

It may well be that your lady friend has endometriosis. But even if she hasn't, there is clearly some BIG problem in the region of her ovaries and tubes.

My conclusion is that she must now go to a good gynaecologist, and ask him if he will look inside her belly with a surgical telescope. This procedure is called 'laparoscopy.'