Q I am a 20-year-old female college student, and there are a couple of areas of my sex life that I am curious about.
First, I have had sex with two men - my present boyfriend and my former one. I have noticed that after sex, with both of them, I endure some excruciating abdominal pain. Could this be some serious internal problem?
Second, I have to tell you that my former boyfriend gave me trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and a yeast infection. I went to a doctor because of a discharge and she prescribed medication for these conditions.
However, my symptoms keep coming back, even though I have no contact with the previous boyfriend at all. Also, my current guy always uses a condom.
I am getting depressed. Is it possible that I may have developed cervical cancer? And, do I need an internal examination?
A Sorry to hear about your troubles. Let me begin by disposing of this idea of cervical cancer. Cancer of the cervix generally takes 15 to 20 years to develop, so really there is almost NO chance that you have got it. In any case, your symptoms are NOT those of a cervical growth.
Let us now turn to this pain you have experienced. While pain DURING intercourse is often due to psychological factors, that is not true of pain which occurs AFTER intercourse.
So, clearly, there is something wrong inside you. I do not think it is serious, but it must be diagnosed and treated. Therefore, I feel that you need to consult a doctor - preferably a gynaecologist - who can do an internal exam and find out what is causing this pain.
At the same time, the 'gyno' can investigate the cause of your current vaginal discharge. It will be necessary to take swabs and to send them to the lab for testing. You can also have a Pap smear during the same visit.
It could be that your current boyfriend needs some tests too, but the doctor will advise you on that.
Try not to be depressed. I am sure that these problems can be sorted out, and that in the future you will be able to have a happy and healthy sex life.
Q I am a 16-year-old and I am horrified to see that the skin of my penis seems to be 'splitting away' from the head of my organ, whenever time I masturbate.
Is this my fault?
A No, it is not your fault. In fact, I doubt anything is wrong with you.
In many teenage boys, part of the foreskin is still stuck to the head of the penis. It is held there by little bands of tissue called 'adhesions'.
As the young guy commences sexual activity, whether it is masturbation or anything else, these adhesions begin breaking down. The result is that the whole of the foreskin is freed from the head of the organ. This is normal, and nothing to fret about.
If you are still worried, ask a doc to examine your penis. However, I am optimistic that he will tell you that everything is OK.
Q I am a 19-year-old girl and I am a virgin. I don't know much about sex and I am fretting.
My boyfriend and I were alone recently, and started to fool around. At one point, I do remember putting his penis back into his pants. After that, he began touching my privates, but he did NOT put his finger inside me.
Could this activity have got me pregnant?
A That is unlikely. What you seem to be saying is that your boyfriend touched his own organ and then yours. Unless he had any sperm on his fingers, I do not see how this could have caused a pregnancy.
However, from long experience of dealing with young couples, I can forecast that it probably won't be long before you two go a little further and perhaps decide to risk having intercourse.
Before that happens, why not go to a doc or clinic and get some sensible advice about contraception and the dangers of sexually transmitted infections?
Q I am a 21-year-old man and I have never had sex with a girl because I am rather nervous of them.
But, now I have a chance to go to bed with a young lady I have met. It may happen next week.
Do you think I should get hold of some Viagra to improve my confidence?
A No. Viagra is quite a powerful drug and should only be used by those who really need it.
Clearly, you are a shy person. So all you need to do is to overcome your shyness. If this young lady is a gentle, sympathetic person, I am sure she will help you. Take care not to get her pregnant.
Q I am 21. My fiancé and I have been trying for a long time to have a baby. We want to get married when I'm pregnant.
We have been to various doctors and they just say we are fine.
But we have still had no luck, and I really don't know what to do. Can you please help me to get pregnant quick?
A Could you email me, telling me what tests these docs have done on you and your fiancé and what the results were?
I will then try to give you some practical advice. Good luck.
Q I am a female reader and I notice where you have mentioned the question of 'squirting at orgasm'. I was told by someone that the 'squirting fluid' is not urine, though they both possess similar properties.
Is this true?
A Contrary to what many people believe, relatively few females 'squirt' when they discharge. However, for a minority of women, it is normal to 'blast out' some liquid at the moment of orgasm.
Remarkably little research has been done on this fluid, mainly because it is so difficult to collect. The results have been rather unsatisfactory and often contradictory.
However, studies which have been carried out do indicate that the fluid is NOT urine. Indeed, it is believed to be similar to the secretions of the male's prostate gland.
If you want to know more about this liquid, check out the helpful entry about female ejaculation on Wikipedia.
Q I am a young guy and I am worried that there seems to be some blood in my seminal fluid when I discharge.
Can I safely ignore this?
A DO NOT ignore this symptom. It suggests that there is something wrong in the area of your testicle. It might be an infection.
See a doc immediately.
Q Could I catch gonorrhoea by having oral sex?
A Very definitely. So take care.
Want advice from Doc? Email questions to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com or post to Doctor's Advice, The Gleaner Company, 7 North Street, Kingston.
