Q I am a 27-year-old guy and I am still a virgin. However, I am beginning to think that it is about time I lost my virginity. I might even get married in the next year or two and start a family.

I am a little worried about the prospect of having sexual intercourse. I wonder if I will be able to manage. All of my friends seem to have been having sex since they were around 16.

To be frank, I am fretting about the possibility of losing my erection on my first try. I have heard that it is really easy to 'collapse' at this point.

Do you think I am abnormal in still being a male virgin at my age?

Also, do you think there is any danger that I am homosexual? Sometimes my friends tease me about this, because they know that I have never really been out with a girl in my life.

A I don't think it is very likely that you are a homosexual. However, here are a few SIMPLE points that should help you to decide:

Do you like girls physically - their faces and bodies?

If you masturbate, do you think about girls when you do so?

If you have sexual dreams while asleep, do they feature beautiful, unclad ladies?

Now if the answer to all three questions is 'yes', it is quite unlikely that you are homosexual. If you are still not sure, why not talk things over with a counsellor or therapist?

Next, let us turn to the fact that you are still a virgin. That is not quite as unusual as you think! Even today, there are quite a few men - and a lot of young women - who hang on to their virginity till very late. They do this for all sorts of reasons - for instance, because of religious beliefs, shyness, fear of pregnancy, or concern about sexual infection.

Anyway, you are far from alone and I would certainly NOT describe you as abnormal.

Finally, let us deal with your worries about what will happen when you first have sex. Here, a lot depends on the lady. If she is kind, sympathetic and loving, I am sure you will have no difficulty at all.

It is true that guys who are nervous or shy do sometimes have difficulties on the first occasion, and may lose their erections. So I would offer you the following tips:

Don't be in a rush - take everything gradually;

If you DO lose the erection, just laugh about it and tell the lady that you will try again in a minute - do not get upset;

Remember, if a guy is unsure about his erection, it is usually easier to 'enter' when the lady is 'on top'.

I am sure that, in the long term, your sex life will work out just fine. I wish you well in your plans to marry and have children.

Q I am a 19-year-old woman and I have a loving boyfriend who I hope to marry. The only problem is, he sometimes wants to give me one of those 'facial' things.

I do not really mind because I would do anything for love of him. But I am fretting about what might happen if his fluid got in my eyes.

Would this be dangerous?

A That is quite a frequent worry among younger women. For some strange reason, these 'facials' have become more common in recent years. There just seems to be a lot of young guys who get satisfaction from discharging towards their partner's face.

You are right to be a little concerned. If the male fluid gets into the eyes, it can cause quite unpleasant stinging. This seems to be because it is salty and the human eye is aggravated by excessive salt.

So try not to let your partner do this near your eyes. If necessary, SHUT both eyes and keep them shut till it's all over.

Be particularly careful if you are a contact-lens user because the liquid can easily damage certain types of lenses. You have been warned.

Q Is it still possible to enjoy a good sex life after a mastectomy? I am female, aged 34, and I have to take that operation next week.

Also, will my husband still desire me after this surgery?

A As you know, mastectomy is removal of the breast. Nearly always the reason for doing it is because the person has cancer.

I am sorry to hear that you have to undergo this surgery. However, from experience of seeing many patients who have had a mastectomy, I can assure you that the great majority of them continued to have happy sex lives afterwards.

As for your husband, if he loves you and cherishes you, he will continue to find you desirable and sexy despite the fact that you lost a breast. Good luck.

Q When should a child develop teeth? I thought it was when they are eight months old.

But my baby is only THREE months old and already she has two teeth.

Is she abnormal?

A Relax. All is well. The average age at which children develop the first tooth is six months. But there is great variability, and on several occasions I have seen babies who were actually BORN with one or two teeth.

Q I am female aged 18, and last week I had sex for the first time. It was not much fun.

But what is making me fret is that I seemed to have got a deep cut, just under what I think is called the vulva. It is bleeding and it pains me, Doc.

A Sorry to hear about this. When young couples are experimenting with sex, what frequently happens is that the boy's fingernail scrapes the girl's skin. Such lacerations can be painful and might bleed for some time.

I imagine that this is what has happened to you. But I would like you get a doc or a nurse to look at this cut and to check whether it is OK. You might need a little antiseptic cream applied to it.

Please don't fret. I am sure everything will heal soon.

Q Doc, I am a young guy and I keep getting intense itching on either side of my scrotum, particularly after sport. There is also a lot of flaking of the skin. Why?

A This is almost certainly a fungal infection. That is common in the crotch area in young males - and also in some females.

Please get yourself an anti-fungal cream from a pharmacy and use it twice daily for a month. If that does not clear up the problem, have a doc check you out.

For advice on various aspects of your health, email questions and comments to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.