Q Doc, I am a 21-year-old guy, and I'm embarrassed by the fact that I always seem to have an itchy bottom. It is hard not to scratch it in public.

How can I cure this?

A. Itching near the anus is extremely common in both males and females. Possible causes include fungal infections, eczema and dermatitis (the last two are skin disorders), and also piles.

Q. Doc, I am a 19-year-old girl. My difficulty is that sex provides me with little pleasure - and I don't discharge.

My boyfriend gives me good love play. We read sexy books together. We even watch porn. And still he can't make me orgasm. We have only had sex three times so far.

At school, I've pretended to the other girls that I love sex, and have lots of orgasms. But it isn't true.

Even when talking with my boyfriend, I pretend that I have enjoyed the sex with him. However, he knows that I do not orgasm.

Why don't I?

A. Well, like many young women, you are completely mistaken about what your body can achieve sexually.

Let me acquaint you with some basic facts about young women and sex. You may be astounded to know that research done in Canada and England has shown that the average girl does not have an orgasm with a guy until she has been having sex for around TWO YEARS.

Admittedly, there are exceptions to this rule. For instance, experts say that young women who have learnt to orgasm through regular masturbation learn fairly quickly to climax with a guy. That is really not too surprising.

But the average late teen who is just starting out on her sexual adventure, her first experience would be unlikely to achieve discharge until she has been 'going with' her partner for a long time - and feels totally comfortable with him.

Yet in your case, you are fretting because you haven't discharged - but you have only had sex THREE times!

You also say that you are not too keen on sex so far. Well, that is NORMAL in many teenage females. Unlike boys, girls often need to LEARN to like sex.

Surveys have shown that huge numbers of women do not enjoy their first sexual experiences at all. It is only after a while that they start to really adore making love.

Now, your friends are always saying that they love sex and have a great time in bed. Please understand that with many younger females, all this is just bluff!

Yes, teenage girls do exaggerate and tell each other all sorts of lies about how wonderful their sex lives are. After all, you have done the same thing yourself! But the truth is likely that not all that of your friends are REALLY having a fabulous time in bed - though they may well do so in future years.

In your case, another factor which I think has misled you is your recent exposure to written porn and blue movies. Such books and films usually present a misleading view of sex - with the actors or actresses appearing to achieve the most amazing and improbable feats!

Don't think that I've been too tough on you. You and your guy should start 'getting real' about what a 19-year-old can do. You are expecting an awful lot of it.

If the two of you stay together - and I hope you will - you should just spend the next year or so gently, lovingly and romantically exploring each other's bodies, finding out what feels good and what doesn't.

Please practise safe sex all the time!

Good luck.

Q. I am 17 and my menses always last for just three days. My mother says that this is real bad because she claims that there is a lot of 'bad blood' that needs to get out.

Is she correct?

A. No, I am afraid she's not. Contrary to what some older people think, there is no 'bad blood' in the womb which needs to come out in menstruation.

So, a three-day period is fine. The fact that it is reasonably short will help protect you against anaemia (weak blood). It is also much less of a nuisance than having long menses!

Q. I am a guy of 18, and so far I don't seem to have reached puberty, doc. I have no real interest in sex or girls. I don't masturbate and I have little hair on my body or face. My voice is high.

Is this OK?

A. No, it is not. It really does sound as though your puberty has simply not arrived. So you should see a doc this week and have a full examination, plus some hormone tests on the blood.

I think you will probably then have to consult a gland specialist (an endocrinologist) who could give you hormone treatment to help guide you into adulthood.

Q. I am a 16-year-old girl. On two occasions recently, I have seen blood in my panties - just a small portion. I have seen my period already this month, so it was not that.

The release of blood was accompanied by a brief, sharp cramp in my belly. Why did this happen to me?

A. In quite a few young women, there is a slight loss of blood on the day of OVULATION - when the monthly egg is released. That is often accompanied by a short spasm of pain. It is nothing to fret about.

I would prefer you to check with a doc, but my guess is that she will tell you that this was just 'ovulation bleeding' and that you are perfectly normal.

Q. I am 20 and last night I had a hot sex session with a girl. We did not have intercourse. But I discharged over the front of her pants, and some of it went through the material.

Could that make her pregnant?

A. This activity is real common in young people. As a result, pregnancies do very occasionally occur. But it is unlikely.

However, please try to be more careful in future.

Want advice from Doc? Send your questions to editor@gleanerjm.com or fax 922-6223, Attention Doctor's Advice.