Doctor's Advice: Homosexual harassment at work

Q. I am a teenage boy who recently started employment at a college. My problem is that at this place, a senior student who is a lot older than me, told me that he had 'feelings' for me. He then kissed me, and we ended up having a form of sex on campus. I am now confused and stressed, because I know that what I did with him was wrong. I need your help, because I am now so miserable at work. Also, I get more upset every day, because I encounter this student when I go to start my day's employment. Can you advise me what to do?

A. You will immediately see that I have altered one or two small details of your email, so that you will not be recognised.

This is a most serious matter that you have written to me about. What the older guy has done to you is almost certainly illegal under Jamaican law. Furthermore, if the authorities of your college find out about it, he would very likely be expelled.

Whether you tell your employers about what has happened is up to you. I cannot advise you on that, because I am here to discuss medical matters only.

And from my medical point of view, I am real concerned about your mental state, because you are obviously in great distress. Meeting this older guy at college every day is clearly making things worse. For that reason, I feel you should leave your present job and try to find yourself employment somewhere else, where you will not be subjected to the strain of running into the man on campus each morning.

I also feel that you should urgently seek some counselling from a good person who is experienced in face-to-face psychological advice for teenagers. It could even be that the college has a psychotherapist or counsellor attached to the staff.

The next thing I must inform you of is that there is some risk that what this older guy did to you has exposed you to infection. So you should see a doctor and have a check-up, probably including a test for HIV.

Finally, it may well be that this relationship has made you wonder whether you are basically 'gay'. That might well be so. Time alone will tell.

But at the moment, since you are so young, I think it would be best if you avoided having sex with anyone, whether male or female. It will take you time to 'sort yourself out'. Be guided by the counsellor or therapist. And please do not make any sudden decisions about your sexuality. I wish you well.

Q. I am 18 years old and my menses only arrive every eight or nine weeks. Is that OK?

A. Not really. It suggests you have a little hormone problem. This might make it difficult for you to get pregnant when you eventually want to. So please see a doctor for a check-up and a blood hormone test.

Q. Can a guy get 'yeast' through having sex with a girl?

A. Yes. What people call 'yeast' is actually a fungus infection, and its scientific name is 'candida'. In females, it causes intense itching and a thick, white discharge. In guys, it can affect the penis, causing soreness and itchiness of the skin, particularly the area under the foreskin. In practice, many males get no symptoms at all. They merely 'carry' the fungus. And they may infect any girl who they go with.

Q. I get a slight pain in the belly, about half-way between the menses. It only lasts a few minutes, and I don't need to take any pain-killers. Is this OK doctor?

A. Yes. This is almost certainly 'mittelschmerz', which just is a mild pain caused by ovulating - that is, egg release. It is normal in many young women, and it is a good sign that ovulation is occurring.

But if the pain ever gets severe, you should see a doctor.

Q. I am really concerned about my scrotum. I am sure there is something wrong with it, Doc. When I inspected it in the mirror, a lot of it was covered in wrinkles. Is this a sign of some disease?

A. No. Sounds as though you are perfectly normal. Most of the scrotum is supposed to be covered in wrinkles, although the area at the back is smooth. These wrinkles actually have a useful function, because they help the scrotum radiate heat. That keeps down the temperature of the testicles, which is important for fertility.

Q. I am a girl of 17, and I have just had a bout of 'genital warts'. A friend has told me where this means I will get cancer of the cervix. Is that true, Doc?

A. No. But, as is often the case with myths, there is just a trace of truth in it. Genital warts are caused from the human papilloma virus, or HPV. So, too, is cancer of the cervix. However, there are many different strains of HPV - over 100, in fact. And in human beings, different strains of HPV cause different problems.

It is possible that you run a slightly increased chance of getting cancer of the cervix one day. But as long as you make sure that you have regular smear tests (pap smears) throughout your adult life, you will be OK.

Q. I am a 20-year-old male, but the other night, I was seduced by a real attractive woman of around 55. She is a friend of my mother's. I was just 'carried away', Doc. And we did not use protection of any kind. Do you think I could have got her pregnant?

A. Very, very unlikely. Pregnancies at the age of 55 can happen, but they are exceedingly rare.

Q. I am a 21-year-old female. When I discharge, it does not smell right. Do you think I have gonorrhoea, Doc?

A. I do not think so. A bad smell is certainly not typical of gonorrhoea. But I feel you should see a doctor and have some swab tests sent to the lab. Please do not have sex until this has been done.

Q. I am a young guy, and since last year, I have been losing my pubic hair. I am so scared, because it seems abnormal. I have done HIV tests and STD tests, but the results are always normal. My family has a history of diabetes, Doc. Could it be that, or some kind of cancer?

A. Neither cancer nor diabetes causes loss of pubic hair. And I cannot think of any common sexually transmitted disease (STD) that leads to hair loss.

I am puzzled as to why you have had 'HIV tests'. Is there something in your lifestyle which makes you think that you are liable to HIV?

Anyway, the only real common disorder which makes pubic hair fall out is a fungal infection of the skin. So if you are still losing hair, please ask your doctor to take a look at your pubic area.

Email questions for Doc to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com. Also read in Outlook Magazine in The Sunday Gleaner.