Q: Doc, I am a young man of 17 years old who is currently in a relationship with a girl who is 16. I'm very much in love with her. She is seriously having thoughts of conceiving a child at this age. I have tried to talk her out of it, but she's very persistent. In fact, she gets depressed whenever she sees babies or anything related to babies. It's because she is so desperate to have a child of her own. I really love her, but I feel she is far too young for having a child. What should I do?

A: Thank you for your caring and kind letter. It is obvious that you want to help and protect this girl. However, she is obsessed with the idea of having pickneys. Why?

Well, a lot of young women have the idea that they will gain 'status' by becoming a mother. Usually, they have not thought about the possibility that they could do other things with their lives - like get a good job, or go to college.

I suspect that your girlfriend got her ideas about motherhood from her own family. Quite often, a female teenager who has seen the respect which is given to matriarchs in society will decide that it is her own destiny to become a mother-figure - especially if she loves babies!

However, I do agree with you that 16 is a real crazy age to conceive a child. Obviously, a lot of girls do it. But try to get your friend to see that once she has the burden of a pickney to look after, it will be real difficult for her to do anything else with her life.

If she is not careful, she may end up being a grandmother at 32!

I am rather concerned about the fact that you say that she gets 'depressed' whenever time she sees babies. Is this girl actually suffering from some form of depression, I wonder? Certainly, it would be a good idea if you could persuade her to have a chat with a doctor or counsellor.

As for yourself, you are obviously doing your very best for her. But let me advise you strongly of one thing. Do NOT let this girl 'trap' you into giving her a baby.

Young women who are keen to conceive are often so desperate that they will do almost anything to get a guy to impregnate them. They will assure the boy that it is a 'safe' time of the month - when it is not. Or they will pretend they have gone on the Pill - when they haven't.

So please take care, and do not have sex with her unless you are using very safe contraception. Otherwise, you could easily find yourself becoming a baby-father.

Q: I am a pretty sexually active woman. Would I know if I had caught that 'chlamydia' thing?

A: Probably not. Chlamydia is now a real widespread germ. It is passed on during sexual intercourse. The guy's secretions carry it into the vagina, and it quickly starts 'making a home' deep inside her reproductive organs.

In the long term, it can cause women great pain and infertility.

But in the early months, most females have no idea that they have caught it! So if you have been 'sleeping around', it is a very good idea to have a chlamydia test from a doc.

Q: Doc, I am female, age 22, and I do not know a lot about sex - even though I am considered to be real good-looking. My problem is that I have got involved with two rich guys on the north coast. I think they are millionaires or something. They are real kind to me, and give me a lot of money. Some nights I sleep with one of them, and some nights with the other. Recently, there have been one or two evenings where I have had sex with one of the guys and then he has sent me round in a taxi to his friend's house for more sex. Well, their latest idea is something that I am not sure about. They want me to go to bed with BOTH of them at the same time. They are suggesting to me that one of them will have sex with me in the regular way, while at the same time the other guy has sex with me in my bottom. What do you think, doc? Is this dangerous?

A: Well, I feel that at the moment you have got yourself into a situation that is bordering on prostitution - which is a little worrying. I hope you are taking great care to avoid getting pregnant by either of these guys.

Please bear in mind that they may well be having sex with other girls too. That would increase their chance of picking up germs. So you could be at considerable risk of catching a sexually transmitted disease (STD) from one or other of these men.

If I understand you correctly, at present you are just having sexual intercourse with them Ôone at a time'. But now they want you to go in for the practice of 'troilism' - which is the technical term for 'three in a bed'.

Furthermore, they want you to agree to something which is common in male fantasies and in porno films: the famous 'double entry' or 'sandwich', in which the woman is penetrated in both her orifices at the same time.

It is difficult to know why so many males are keen to try this out. Some psychologists think that 'sandwiching' has a distinct homosexual element - because of the fact that the two guys can usually feel each other's penises inside the woman.

Whether that is true or not, the important question is whether this activity will hurt you, or be harmful to your health. To be frank, you could find it real painful, and it may also cause some long-term loosening of the muscles round your anus.

Repeated 'sandwiching' nearly always gives the woman very lax anal muscles. The result of that is usually bowel incontinence - that is, involuntary 'soiling' of the underwear. This may persist for the rest of your life.

So you can see that I don't really think that you should go ahead and agree to this 'sandwich' idea. I appreciate that you need money and that these two rich guys are providing it for you. However, maybe you should now consider bringing this slightly dangerous three-way relationship to an end.

Q: I am an epilepsy patient and I would like you to tell me what the best drug is for that condition.

A: There is no single 'best drug' for epilepsy. The idea is for the doctor to find out which drug - or combination of drugs - suits that particular person.

The most important thing is that you should make sure you take the pills every single day without fail, in order to keep the fits (convulsions) away. I wish you well.

Q: I am a young girl of 19. I have been having my period since June!

I have been given various hormone tablets by a doctor, but the bleeding continues. At one point, I took a low-dose contraceptive Pill and that helped for a couple weeks, but then the blood loss returned. Please help me.

A: Sorry to hear about this. If possible, you need to consult a gynaecologist in order to find out WHY you are having all this menstrual trouble.

In the meantime, I recommend that you take a much HIGHER dose contraceptive Pill than the one you were using. That should keep the menses in check until you can see the 'gyno'. Good luck.

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Q: I am real worried, because my little boy has been diagnosed as having 'tonsillitis'. Does this mean he will have to take an operation to remove his tonsils?

A: No. Most pickneys get tonsillitis at some time or other. The word just means 'inflammation of the tonsils', which are located at the back of the throat.

Most cases of tonsillitis will get better without treatment, but others need antibiotics. These days, tonsil operations are not often needed.