Now I have developed some little fleshy warts on my penis. And I have a feeling that these are caused from sex.

I went to a doctor, and he said they were papillomas. I asked him if they were due to my sex life, but he did not answer. I think he muttered something about a virus.

He gave me some kind of special paint to put on my organ and I have been using it for several days, but see no improvement.

What is your assessment of my situation?

A Well, it is extremely common for males who have slept around to get these little fleshy bumps on the penis, usually near where the foreskin meets the head of the organ, but sometimes just inside the urinary opening.

In fact, women very often get similar warty bumps - either on their vulval labia (lips) or inside the vagina. In both sexes, the swellings are painless. Sometimes they bleed.

I am sure that the doc was right in his diagnosis. A papilloma is a kind of wart which is caused by a virus. The virus is passed on during sexual intercourse - which is why these little bumps are commoner in people who have had a lot of partners.

However, they can also occur sometimes in folks who have only ever had sex with one person.

I imagine that your doc has put you on the correct treatment for genital warts, which is a sort of 'paint'. But you cannot expect this stuff to work overnight! It will probably be a couple of months until the warts have gone from your organ.

If by any chance the special paint does not cure YOU, other medication is available. Also, it would be possible for a surgeon specialist to remove them for you.

Most important: You really must NOT have sex with anyone until a doctor has pronounced you cured. If you do sleep with anyone, you would probably give them the virus - and make them develop warts too.

If you are feeling frustrated during this time, masturbation is a useful medium of relieving emotions. Please don't go in for vaginal sex, oral sex or even hand petting with anyone else.

My final word of warning: The wart virus is associated with an increased risk of genital cancer in both males and females. The danger to you is very slight. As you get older, you should keep an eye out for any unusual lumps or sore places around your foreskin.

More important, the wart virus can be a factor in giving women cancer of the cervix. So any sex partner of yours should take care that she has regular Pap smear tests. That applies to any past partners of yours, and possibly to any future ones as well.

QI am female, age 19, and last week I let a boy have sex with me during my menses.

Could I get pregnant during menstruation, as I have heard? And if I am pregnant, would it be a 'red child?'

AIt is possible to become pregnant during the menstrual period, though the odds are heavily against it. So you will probably be OK.

The story about children who are conceived during the menses being born as 'red children' is just a myth.

QMy father passed away last week due to cancer. But no one seems to be able to tell me what caused it. Can you help?

AI am sorry to hear of your father's passing. What you have not realised is that in the vast majority of cases of cancer, the cause is not known. The main exception to this is cancer of the LUNG, which is usually caused from smoking.

In fact, smoking also increases the risk of several other cancers, including those of the throat and of the cervix. But it is not surprising that no one can give a precise cause for your father's illness. My sympathies to you.

QMy fiancée is planning to go on the Pill. I have heard that it is possible for the guy to absorb the Pill hormones during sex, and then develop breasts. Is that true?

ANo, it is not true. In the early days of the Pill, 50 years ago, doctors were quite worried that it might happen. But it doesn't.

So you will be OK.

QHi, I am female and don't know much about sex. Just before Christmas, I had intercourse for the first time.

I was really stupid and didn't use a condom. I didn't think my boyfriend ejaculated and he said that he didn't.

However, after getting out of bed, I discovered that there seemed to be ejaculate everywhere. There was stuff on the bed, on my clothes and legs.

I am really confused. Does this ejaculate have sperm in it? Is it the same thing as semen? Or even the same thing as ejaculation?

AOh, dear. You do have quite a lot to learn about sex! I beg you NOT to take this sort of risk again.

If you go on having sex with the young man, I urge you to use a condom every time - and all the way through intercourse.

Now, let us just clear up your difficulties with definitions.

When a guy climaxes (discharges), he produces a jet of white fluid. This action is called 'ejaculation'.

The fluid is often called 'ejaculate'. The medical term for it is 'semen', or 'seminal fluid.'

To describe the fluid, people often use the word 'come'.

Yes, the fluid is full of sperm - thousands and thousands of them. Just ONE would be enough to get you pregnant.

I do not really know what happened on the evening which you describe. Your young man claims he did not ejaculate, but you say that there was a lot of fluid around. It is possible that all or some of it actually came from you.

Whatever the truth of the matter, I hope that you do not get pregnant. Please take care of yourself and do not run such a risk again.

QI am a young guy and I am completely unable to pass urine when my friends are around.

Is this some kind of prostate trouble? Or an allergy?

ANo, it is not due to your prostate gland, nor to an allergy.

In fact, inability to urinate when other guys are around is extremely common. It is often called shy bladder.

It is entirely caused from embarrassment about doing such an intimate thing while people are in the vicinity. You could go to a counsellor, who could help you defeat it.

However, you could make a good start by simply urinating in a public toilet while other guys are, say, 20 yards away. Over the next year, you can gradually get yourself accustomed to being nearer and nearer to other folk.

Need advice from Doc on sexual and other health problems? Email comments to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.