Q. Greetings, doc. I am a 19-year-old girl from Savanna-la-Mar, and I do not know much about sex. But I know I do not want to get pregnant!

Also, I do not want to catch any of those diseases that I have heard about. But I guess I am kind of a sexy person, and I do have real strong urges.

Recently, I have found a boyfriend. He is a real nice, loving guy, and a few months younger than me. He is a virgin, and he is not 'pressing' me to go all the way. So what we have decided is that until we are older, we will just go for 'petting' with the hands. We have tried this recently, and I must say that at least it does stop us from getting frustrated.

But I would like to know two things, doc. First of all, is there any danger to my health (or to his health) from this kind of sex?

Second, is there any danger of getting pregnant? One of my friends told me where she knew of a girl who got pregnant after a man put his finger inside her.

AThank you for your letter. Personally, I feel that you are very sensible to have decided to postpone sexual intercourse until you are older. Young adults like yourselves do get very highly 'charged up' sexually, and the use of hand-petting does often act as a useful safety valve.

Now, you ask about dangers. Well, this is just about the safest form of sex between two people - apart from rather 'distant' activities, like telephone sex or Internet sex.

In particular, it is almost unknown for hand-petting to pass VD from one person to another. There are very rare cases in which such a transmission could occur - for instance, if a guy had a syphilis sore on his hand. But in my entire professional career, I do not think I have seen a single case in which a sexually transmitted disease was passed from one person to another through use of the hand.

There is one exception to what I have just said, and that is the case of Human Papilloma Virus. This is the germ which causes most cases of cancer of the cervix. Recent research shows that it can sometimes be carried on a man's hands, and into a woman's vagina.

So I would advise any young people who are going in for petting that they should wash their hands before they start. Also, if either of you has a sore or infected place on the fingers, you should not go in for this type of 'love play' until the area in question has healed up.

You also ask about the risk of pregnancy. This is very nearly nil. Theoretically, it would be possible for the boy to get his own seminal fluid on his hands when he discharged, and then for him to put his fingers inside the girl, thus transferring sperms into her. That is certainly not something I would recommend!

Nevertheless, I have not so far seen a single case in which a woman has been impregnated through hand-petting. So you can be assured that this would be very rare.

I wish you well in your relationship with your young man.

QDoc, I am a guy who has a 'scratching' pain inside the penis. Also, whenever I pass urine, it burns me. Could this be anything to do with the fact that a couple of weeks ago I had sex with a girl and the condom burst?

AThe likelihood has to be that you picked up an infection from this lady. The two infections which commonly produce the symptoms you mention are gonorrhoea and urethritis.

So it is essential that you go to a doc this week for tests and treatment. I beg you not to have sex until you have been cured. If you do, then you will almost certainly give the infection to someone else.

QHello, doc. I am a 20-year-old female. I have been sexually active from the age of 16 years, and I haven't had an orgasm yet.

I have tried so hard, but I just can't. I was in a relationship with a guy, but one of the reasons that it broke up was the fact that I didn't discharge.

I am now seeing someone new, and I'm ready to have intercourse with him. But I am scared he will think that I am abnormal or weird. Please tell me what to do.

AYou are trying too hard! It would be far better if you just relaxed and enjoyed the pleasant feelings of sex.

Recent research has shown that many young women do not discharge till they are well into their 20s. If your new partner is sexually knowledgeable, he will be aware that young females cannot orgasm 'at the drop of a hat.' If he has any sense, he will not think you 'abnormal' or 'weird'.

For more info about how to learn toreach orgasm, consult the website of United States sex guru Betty Dodson, at www.bettydodson.com.

QCould you give me a good advice as to how prevent dengue from affecting my family, doc?

AThe most important thing is to make sure that no water is lying around in your yard or nearby. If there is no water, then the mosquitoes cannot breed - and therefore there will be no dengue.

QI am a guy of 23 years, and my problem is that whenever I am around my girlfriend I get an erection. I also get an erection when bumping along on a bus.

My girlfriend says that this makes me 'addicted to sex'. Is she correct? Do I have a psychological problem?

ANo, you don't. Your girlfriend does not understand much about male sexuality!

I assure you, it is normal for a healthy, virile young man to get an erection when he is close to an attractive girlfriend. Also, it is one of nature's little jokes that if a lusty young fellow sits in a bumpy bus, he will probably become stiff.

So please quit fretting. Just thinking how much luckier you are than all those guys who write to me because they cannot get an erection at all.

Q Doc, you said in your column that the best time to get pregnant is 14 days before a period starts. But if you do conceive on that night, will your period still arrive?

A No, it won't. I am sorry if the wording I used misled you. What I meant was that the best day to conceive is generally around 14 days before a period is due.

To work out the date on which it is due, you really need to keep a calendar or diary with your menses recorded on it. If you have regular periods, it is usually easy to use the diary or calendar to pinpoint the day on which you should try for a baby. Good luck.

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