Q. My boyfriend wants me to smoke when we are at parties. I have never tried cigarettes. Do you think I could just smoke a few when I go on a date with him and avoid them the rest of the time?A. That might be difficult. Cigarettes contain a drug called nicotine, which is highly addictive. That is the main reason why people find it so very hard to give up!
So if you just smoke a few cigarettes at parties, you will almost certainly discover that you have an insatiable desire for more. Before you know it, you may be lighting up 20 for the day. Therefore, my advice is not to start.
Q. I am a virgin in my late teens. Since I was about 14, I have noticed that there seems to be strange secretion from my privates. At times, it is clear and kind of 'stretchy' and, at other times, it is cloudy. It does not smell, nor does it itch. I used to worry about it a lot and feared it was an infection but recently my friends have been telling me that it is normal. Are they right, Doc?A. I would say that they are. It does not sound like you have anything to fret about.
Many girls don't realise that from the age of puberty, it is normal to produce a little fluid each day. The appearance and consistency of this secretion vary at different times of the menstrual cycle because the secretion is controlled by the ebb and flow of your female hormones during the month.
Also, the volume tends to increase a little if you think about sex.
Girls often worry that the vaginal secretion might indicate an infection but as you are still a virgin, that is unlikely. Generally, it is not until a young woman has had sex that she starts getting infections.
It is sexual intercourse and, to a lesser extent, petting, that introduce germs into the vagina. That is why so many girls develop infections when they first start to fool around with boys.
Symptoms of vaginal infections include a discharge that:
Is accompanied by itching Is accompanied by soreness Is yellow or green Is thick, white and 'cheesy' Has a bad smell.You don't have any of these symptoms, so I really do not think that there is anything wrong with you.
Q. Could you tell me how to build up the muscles in my penis?
A. You are mistaken, young man. There are NO muscles at all in the penis. So one cannot build them up.
Q. I am an 18-year-old woman, living with my boyfriend. I had one previous lover before I met him. We used condoms. I sometimes get swollen glands in my neck when I have a throat problem. Could this indicate that I have HIV?A. In young people, the neck glands often swell up as a result of throat or ear infections. That is far commoner than HIV.
Nevertheless, as you are fretting, I suggest you go to any doctor or clinic and ask for an HIV test. I hope that the results will be negative and will set your mind at rest.
Q. I am a young guy and I am really worried by the fact that the skin seems to splitting away from the head of my organ. This looks like serious damage to me. It happens whenever I get an erection. So should I stop all sexual activity at once?A. Relax. I don't think anything serious is going on here. In a lot of young guys, the foreskin is still attached to the head of the organ by little bands of tissue, which are called 'adhesions'.
In the teen years, there are, of course, very frequent erections. These gradually make the adhesions break. The result is that the foreskin can roll back more easily. Get a medical check-up. But I am pretty sure that he will be able to reassure you that everything is fine.
Q. My babymother gave birth seven weeks ago. After the delivery, she had to have multiple stitches in her vagina. However, the stitches are not well. What can I do to give her sexual pleasure?A. I am not too sure what you mean by saying that the stitches are 'not well'. Maybe they are causing her pain or soreness. Perhaps they are infected.
In any case, you should definitely NOT attempt intercourse until a doc has checked out these stitches and has said that everything has healed sufficiently for intercourse to take place.
Also, you should NOT attempt to perform oral sex on your partner, which can be dangerous a few weeks after childbirth.
However, if your young lady is in need of sexual satisfaction - which you seem to suggest - there is no reason why you should not stimulate her clitoris, provided you do it with clean hands.
Q. How do you get a brain tumour? I am worried about this.A. A brain tumour is a form of cancer. It is rare in young people but I have seen a few cases.
As a rule, the cause is unknown. However, in recent years, there have been suggestions that holding a mobile phone next to your ear for long periods might cause such a tumour in the long run.
The jury is still out on that one.
Nevertheless, my view is that young people should not spend hour upon hour with a phone clamped to their ears - just in case the theory turned out to be true.
Q. I am a young woman who had a miscarriage two years ago. Recently, I have been trying to get pregnant, but no success. Could this be due to the miscarriage?A. I don't think so. You should keep trying to have a baby. Concentrate on the 14-day period before your menses are due.
If you have no success within three months, you and your partner should go to a doc for a check-up and some tests. Good luck.
Q.I am highly sexed. In fact, I masturbate about twice a week. If I go to a gynaecologist, will he or she be able to know that I do this?A. No, she won't. Also, she will not be interested in whether or not you masturbate.
Want advice from Doc? Email questions to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com or send mail through the post to Doctor's Advice, c/o The Gleaner Company, 7 North Street, Kingston.
