Q Hi, Doc. I have been having a slight pain in my testicle. Also, when I urinate there is a burning sensation. I went to a doctor and was treated with a tablet called doxycycline. I notice that my uncomfortable symptoms persist, as well as tenderness in my groin area. Doc, what do you think is happening?

A Your story is common, particularly among younger men. Of course, I have not examined you but your symptoms of pain in the testicles, plus burning while passing urine, do suggest an infection.

The infection is most likely to be in the urinary tube known medically as the urethra.

What is the germ that caused this infection? If your doc has done lab tests, they would reveal the answer. The likeliest culprit is the bug called chlamydia, which is so common these days.

Other possibilities include the germ which causes gonorrhoea ('the clap'), though if you had that I would have expected you to have some messy-looking discharge from the penis.

Anyway, I am sure the doc has put you on the right treatment. Sorry to hear that your symptoms are persisting but this clearly indicates that you must go back and consult the doctor to find out whether you need a further course of antibiotics.

Until you see the doc, please follow these rules: No alcohol and no sex.

I have one word of advice: When you consult the doctor, do not pass urine for an hour or two beforehand. The reason is that he may want to inspect a specimen of freshly passed urine in order to see if there are any cells and other pieces of material from your urethra drifting around in it.

Finally, you must face the fact that you probably acquired this infection sexually. So you need to consider:

Which woman did you get it from?

Is it possible to contact her so that she could have medical tests and, if necessary, treatment?

Q My fiancé is pressuring me to have sex during my menses, which is the only time he is home. Would this harm either of us?

A No, but it is real messy. Why not talk to a woman doctor at a family-planning clinic? She can advise you about methods of contraception which will control your periods, so there will be very few days on which you cannot make love.

Q I am a 19-year-old man and last night I had sex for the first time. To my alarm, I oozed several drops of blood afterwards. It seems like it came from the underside of my organ. Help me, Doc! What is happening?

A Don't be frightened. This is common in young men, particularly when they first have sex.

The odds are that you have a little tear in the fraenum (often called the 'fraenulum'), which is the dark, string-like structure which runs down the side of the penis that is furthest from you when you are erect.

If that is the cause of the bleeding, this is no big deal. It will heal. Get yourself antiseptic ointment from a pharmacy and apply it three times a day. That should keep things clean and clear up the bleeding within a week. But if it doesn't stop the bleeding, have a doc inspect your organ.

Please: No sex until you are completely OK. Having sex might restart the bleeding.

Q We are two university students and we are wondering what's the best way to avoid sexual infections.

AA The simple answer is, 'Do not have sex!' If you don't have any sexual relations with anyone, you cannot acquire a sexually transmitted infection (STI). If you feel you must have sex, the best thing to do is to keep to one faithful partner and to stay faithful yourself.

You see, if a guy has no sexual infection and his girlfriend is also free of infection, there is little possibility either of them can catch any venereal disease.

Finally, if you are having sex, you should try to use a condom. This gives good, though not total, protection against STIs.

Condoms are particularly important in the early stages of a young couple's relationship. This is because of the fact that if either of them has ever had sexual contact with anyone else there has to be a chance that he or she is bringing a 'silent' germ to the new relationship (i.e., one that causes no symptoms).

I applaud your desire to want to practise safe sex.

Q I am a guy of 25, living in Kingston. Recently, I have found that my male organ is bending more and more to the right. So sex is real difficult. I went to a doctor and he examined me. the trouble was that, obviously, I was not erect at the time. It is only when I am erect that this serious bend is visible so the doc thought that nothing was wrong. Please, help me.

A A fairly dramatic bend like this suggests the quite common condition of Peyronie's disease which is caused by a thickening of the tissues on one side of the penis.

As you correctly suggested, the bend is usually undetectable when the penis is flaccid in a non-erect condition).

Obviously, a doctor cannot really examine you when you are erect. To get around that problem, I used to advise guys to take a Polaroid photo of the erect penis and show that to the doc.

However, these days the answer is simply to take a photo of your erection on your mobile phone. The picture will help him determine if you have Peyronie's disease.

The disease can often be treated and cured. But that would have to be done by a surgical specialist known as a urologist. Good luck.

Q I am a 20-year-old woman. Last Friday, I gave up my virginity to a guy. To my surprise, I did not enjoy it at all. And I certainly did not discharge. Am I abnormal?

A No, you're not. Several surveys have shown that many young women do not find their first experience of sex enjoyable.

A lot of them say things like:

"It hurt."

"It gave me no pleasure."

"I was frightened."

"It was all over before I knew it."

Very few of them orgasm during their first sexual experience. Indeed, some authorities report that a great many females cannot climax until they have been with a regular partner for a year or two.

My advice: Do not rush into your next experiment with sex. It is not compulsory!

Q I have a long, dark, fleshy bump on my left nipple. Is this cancer? I am 27.

A Cancer is not very likely but I would like you to have this bump checked out by a doc.

My best guess is that this is just a papilloma, which is a harmless swelling that occurs in many women and some men. If so, the doc may well be able to remove it for you.

Email feedback or questions for Doc to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.