Q I am a 22-year-old female, from the western side of the island. I have been dating this young man, who is 21 years of age, for approximately two weeks.

We have yet to have full sex, but we kiss and fondle each other. Last night, I saw his organ for the first time - and everything went badly wrong. You see, doc, when his penis came out of his pants I detected an awful scent that made me lose interest immediately. The aroma got even worse when the foreskin rolled back.

So I stopped kissing him, and told him that we were 'too hot' and that I was not ready to have sex with him.

My question to you, doctor, is what could have caused this dreadful odour? As it happens, I know that he had just had a bath. How could his problem be treated? And how do I tell him about the smell without hurting his feelings?

He is really kind-hearted to me, and would do anything I ask. He is very romantic and extremely gentle. I am very much interested in being with him, but I can't continue without solving this difficulty. I need a response from you before I make the next move.

A Well, it sounds like this is a real nice young man - apart from his big drawback.

I am not sure if you have had any previous experience of men - and in particular I do not know if this was the first male organ you have ever seen or fondled.

It is important for you to realise that even in the cleanest of guys, there is a slight aroma which comes from the penis. This scent comes from certain glands which are located just below the head of the organ, in the area which is usually covered by the foreskin.

Some biologists claim that these glands produce pheromones - which are special 'sex smells' that are intended to attract the female. It is notable that most women do not find the slight fragrance unattractive; indeed, some are turned on by it.

But in this case, it does not sound as if there was any question of a 'slight aroma.' What you describe was clearly an overwhelming stink!

This drives me to the conclusion that your young man has not been washing under his foreskin - which is what all uncircumcised males should do everyday. If a guy doesn't do that, he gets a big build-up of some rather unpleasant white stuff called 'smegma.'

This material is cheesy in appearance and feel, and it has germs in it. After a few days, it starts to smell - quite unpleasantly. I think that this is what has happened here. The young man may have had a bath, but it sounds as though he has neglected to wash his organ.

Incidentally, another important aspect of smegma is that if it is not washed away regularly, the man will have an increased risk of penile CANCER in later life.

So all in all, I feel that your best move now would be to tell your boyfriend that you have heard from an authoritative source that for hygiene reasons, every guy should thoroughly wash under his foreskin each day. Make clear that you expect this of him - and that you will not take 'No' for an answer.

Q I am a guy of 18. Is it OK for me to use mobile phones a lot? Or could that give me cancer?

A The jury is still out on that one. So far, there is no clear scientific evidence that having a mobile 'clamped' to your ear could give a person brain cancer - but you never know.

My advice: Don't spend long periods on the 'portable'. And don't always use it on the same side of your head.

Q Hello, doc! I am having a problem. I am an 18-year-old young man who has a 4.8 inches penis.

Do you think that is abnormal? I want you to advise me on what I can do to obtain a larger organ.

A I get a lot of emails and letters from young guys who think that their penises are too small. Nearly always, they are wrong.

But in your case, I am not so sure. If you really have measured your organ properly, then it does sound as though you may be a little on the small side.

Let me clarify this question of measurement. Presumably you have found that you measure 4.8 inches when you are erect. If by chance you are talking about a measurement which you made when you were non-erect (that is, limp or flaccid), then 4.8 inches would actually be pretty good.

But I am going to assume that you did the measuring when you were 'stiff'. Such a measurement should be carried out on the side of your penis which is nearer to your belly when you are aroused. You should measure from the base of the organ - just where it rises out of the pubic hair. And the idea is to measure to the point at the very end of the penis - where the little hole is located.

Now if you did all that, and you got a 'reading' of 4.8 inches, then I think that you genuinely are about 20 per cent shorter than average.

What must you do about it? Well, I would certainly advise not to waste your money on those alleged 'penis-enlarging' remedies that are advertised on the Net and elsewhere. They will not work.

Instead, I would urge you to ask a doc to send you to a urological surgeon-specialist. The surgeon will have a look at you, and give you an expert opinion on the size of your penis.

Of course, he will not be seeing you when you are erect. One way round this slight difficulty is to take a polaroid photo of your organ when it is in the erect position, and show him that.

If he thinks that you really are on the small side, then he will tell you whether he feels that taking an operation would help to make you longer.

Also, some urological surgeons have a piece of apparatus which stretches the penis gently over a period of months. He could inform you about that.

And can I stress one vital fact? It is often said that 'size doesn't matter'. This is not really true, since a lot of women do prefer to be penetrated by a larger penis. However, there are quite a few ladies who are terrified by a very big organ, and would prefer to make love with a guy who has a smaller one.

But what really matters is what a guy does in bed - not the size of his equipment. Many females will tell you that they would rather have a loving, considerate, romantic, skilled guy with a 4.8 inch penis than some incompetent, blundering male with a 6.8 inch one.

Q My little boy keeps getting tonsillitis and I would like to know the cause of that.

A Tonsillitis is real common in young children, and it is caused from germs which get into the back of the throat. Children are more likely to get the infection if people smoke near them.

Fortunately, there is a strong tendency to 'grow out of' tonsillitis attacks as the child gets older.

Q My boyfriend has just read a book that explains how to stimulate the female 'G-spot'. This gives me a real pleasant feeling, doc. But if he goes on too long, then next day I get cystitis-type symptoms. Why?

A It is because the G-spot is wrapped round the female urinary pipe, or 'urethra.'

Over-firm pressure on this area can create inflammation in the urinary 'plumbing'.

So please insist that your guy takes it gently - and does not go on pressing for very long.

Q My menses stopped five years ago, but now they seem to be starting again. Why?

A It is unlikely that these are really periods. My guess is that you have some disorder that causes 'post-menopausal bleeding'.

It could maybe be serious. So please see a doc this week.

Q I am fretting, because I wonder if I could be pregnant. I had sex three days after my period.

Is it possible to become pregnant at that time?

A Yes. A woman can get pregnant at any time of her 'month'. And three days after the menses is not all that long before the most fertile time.

Please send your health questions to editor@gleanerjm.com