Q How big should a testicle be, Doc? I am sure that mine are on the small side and I am wondering if there is any medication that could help me.

A No, I would not recommend any medication. The average dimensions of the adult human testicle are around:

One and a half inches in length;

One inch in width;

One and a quarter inches from the front to the back.

However, it is quite difficult to measure the size of your own testicles. I would ask you why you think yours are small. Unless you are gay, I guess it is unlikely that you have ever examined anyone else's testicles so you could be quite wrong about your size.

Nevertheless, I do appreciate that this subject is a worry for you. So I strongly suggest that you consult a doc. Doctors are used to examining testicles and assessing how big they are.

I can tell you that in the majority of cases it turns out that the patient's testicles are actually of normal size and weight.

Q My daughter has lost several large patches of hair on the sides of her head. Could this be due to her use of hair-straightening products?

A Yes, these products do sometimes cause lumps of hair to come out. However, I would like you to take your daughter to a doc to have her scalp checked out, just in case she has a skin disorder.

Q Doc, is it true that the more times you have sex, the more your physical strength is diminished?

I am an 18-year-old guy and several of my fellow students have told me that. Also, I have heard that men have a limited number of sperm and they must take care not to use them all up.

A These stories are quite common among young men but they are not true. It is correct that having sex makes someone tired for a short while. That applies to both men and women. But it has no effect on your long-term physical strength.

Also, it is untrue that you have a limited number of sperm. The testicles are like two little factories and they are constantly making new sperm - many thousands per day. The fact is, however much sex you have, your testicles will continue to manufacture more sperm.

Q I am a 19-year-old female and I have noticed that I develop an abscess on my vagina after my periods. These abscesses get so painful at times that I can hardly sit or walk.

Can you tell me why this is happening? Does it have something to do with personal hygiene?

A Sorry to hear about this. An abscess is a collection of pus. It usually swells up and is very painful. Frequently, it bursts - giving instant relief of pain. So is that what you mean when you say that you are getting 'abscesses' on your vagina?

If so, the only common type of abscess I can think of at this location is called Bartholin's abscess. That is a collection of pus in one of the two Bartholin's glands, which are situated on either side of the opening of the vagina.

Bartholin's abscesses are sometimes caused by gonorrhoea ('the clap'), and sometimes by other germs. They need rapid treatment by a doc.

However, it is possible that you are just talking about inflamed hair follicles, which are quite common in young women and which can be pretty painful.

It is clear to me that next time you have one of these abscesses, you MUST see a doc and have it assessed. He or she will be able to give you the right treatment, which will probably include antibiotics.

Finally, anyone who keeps getting abscesses should have a urine specimen tested for 'sugar' - because diabetes makes a person more liable to these conditions.

Q I am a 23-year-old man and I have to confess that as a result of watching blue movies, I have got really interested in oral sex.

But what is making me fret is that I when my fiancée does this activity for me, I can never climax. Why is this? Is there something wrong with me?

In contrast, if I give her oral sex, she invariably discharges.

A I really do advise readers to pay no mind to the antics they may have seen in porn movies. These videos and DVDs peddle a lot of foolishness and much of it is faked.

Unfortunately, these films do give young people a rather false idea of what is normal in the bedroom - and of what is actually achievable!

In real life, guys often find it difficult to orgasm as a result of oral sex. Even in blue movies, it is often the case that the 'hero' has to finish matters off by stimulating himself at the last moment in order to climax.

So you are not abnormal in having difficulty in discharging through oral sex. You point out that, in contrast, your fiancée has no problem in orgasming as a result of being given cunnilingus (which is oral love play performed by a man on a woman).

This is not surprising at all. Most highly sexed women find it very easy to orgasm if they are given oral stimulation - provided that the partner is doing it correctly. And clearly, you are doing it correctly.

Q I am 21 and have just gone on the Pill. A nurse said to me that it would be a good idea to 'tricycle'. What does she mean, Doc?

A The word 'trickling' means taking the Pill continuously - that is, without any break at all - for three months.

The great advantage of doing this is that during this time, you should not be troubled by having the menses. A lot of women find this a big bonus.

However, there is a slight risk that you might get 'breakthrough bleeding', which is unexpected blood loss at some time during the three months. So it is a good idea to keep some sanitary protection in your handbag.

Q Doc, I am a 28-year-old man and I am worried by the fact that I seem to have too much skin in my foreskin. In other words, a lot of it is redundant.

Because it is long, I once caught it in my zip, and I can tell you that this was real painful !

What should I do? Would it be possible to take an operation to shorten the foreskin?

A That would be possible, but I really would NOT recommend it - because you might lose quite a bit of sensitivity when the foreskin is cut away.

My advice is that you should consult a surgical specialist who deals with urological problems. My guess is that he or she will say, 'Leave well alone'.

Email questions about medical problems to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.