Doctor's Advice: Could I have been infected by this 'real nice girl'?

Q Doc, can you please advise? I am a guy of 18, and last week I met a real nice girl at Half-Way Tree. She invited me back to her parents' house, and we went into her bedroom.

Because her mother was somewhere around, we did not dare to have full sex. But I did penetrate her maybe an inch or so. It only lasted around half a minute, and then I pulled out. I did not discharge.

Well, yesterday I noticed that it hurts a lot when I pass urine. Also, I have some yellow stuff which is staining the inside of my pants.

Please tell me the truth, Doc. Surely, I could not have caught any kind of sexually transmitted infection from this nice girl? After all, I only went a tiny way in, and just for a very short time.

A lot of young people think that if they do not have full penetration, everything will be OK. Others believe that if the penis is only in contact with the female genitals for a real short time, then no harm will be done. Unfortunately, these assumptions are just not true!

From what you say, I have little doubt that you have contracted either gonorrhoea (the clap) or chlamydia.

To catch these infections only requires very slight penetration for a very short time, like a few seconds. Even a touch of the penis on the exterior of the girl's genitals could lead to germs being transmitted from one partner to the other.

I would like you to appreciate that in females, germs tend to congregate inside the urethra (or urinary pipe). The opening of this is very near to the outside. In fact, it is visible on close inspection with the naked eye if the lips are open.

If a young lady has got gonorrhoea or chlamydia, it is quite likely that germ-filled pus will be dripping out of this little opening. And the pus will drip on to the male organ, even if it only goes in half an inch or so.

Therefore, it is no surprise that you have picked up an infection from this lady at Half-Way Tree. You describe her as a nice girl, and I suspect you think that the fact that she was nice means that she could not have a sexually transmitted infection. Alas, that is not the case. Some extremely pleasant people manage to catch these infections!

Anyway, what you should do now is to fix up an urgent consultation with a doctor. He will examine you, do some tests, and put you on the right antibiotic. Please do not even consider having sex until he assures you that you are totally cured!

Also, you need to contact this nice girl at Half-Way Tree, and tell her that she appears to be carrying an infection. She, too, must have urgent treatment.

Q I am a teenager, and my menses only started around a year ago. What I cannot understand is this, Doc. My mother told me that they should arrive every month. But sometimes I find that the period starts on the ninth of the month, then next month it begins on the sixth. And the month after that, it commences on the third or fourth.

Is there something wrong with me?

A No. You are just making a mistake in calculation. Quite a few young teenagers do this.

Quite simply, you have not allowed for the fact that the months of the year are of different lengths, ranging from 28 to 31. So nobody can expect their periods to commence on the same date of every month!

Your best move is to get yourself a diary (or a calendar), and record your menses in it. Then you will be able to see exactly how far apart your periods are. My guess is that they will turn out to be pretty regular, roughly 28-day intervals.

Also, I believe it is now possible for women to program their mobile phones to keep a good record of menstrual dates.

Q I am 18, and I am wondering if it is OK that when I am sexually frustrated, I get a pain in my testicles. Could this be a symptom of cancer?

A No. It is normal for young men to feel minor aches and pains in the testicles when they are frustrated. In medical books, this is sometimes called Orchitis amorosa.

The classic situation occurs when a guy gets excited while cuddling and kissing a girl, but does not get the opportunity to discharge. Therefore, he develops some congestion in his testicles, and that may make him ache for several hours.

Fortunately, testicular cancer is not all that common in Jamaica. Typically, it causes a lump in the testicle. It most frequently occurs in guys aged 20 to 30. But any male of any age who finds a lump in his scrotum should see a doctor at once.

Q Can you tell me how much sleep I really need? I am 19, and I like to sleep for 10 hours if possible. But my mother says I am lazy, and claims that I only need seven hours.

A Younger people do need more sleep than older folk do. Generally, teenagers need a good nine hours per night in order to be in the best of health. In contrast, people who are in their 40s or 50s may need only about seven hours.

Q Over the last six months, I have had to put in two tampons at once in order to control the blood flow from my menses. Is this OK, Doc?

A No. Putting in two tampons will not harm you. But the fact that you have had to do it does indicate that you are losing far too much blood!

This excessive blood loss will probably make you anaemic before long. So please go and see a doctor, who can treat those heavy periods for you.

Q I am a guy of 17, and it is real embarrassing for me to have wet dreams because they stain the sheets. If I am staying at other people's houses, I have to try and sponge away the stain before anybody else notices it.

So could I get some medication to prevent these sexy dreams?

A I am afraid not. Wet dreams are a normal part of growing up for many young men. There are no pills which will stop them. If you are staying overnight at someone else's house and want to prevent seminal staining of the sheets, all you can do is to sleep in some extra garment, such as a thick pair of shorts in order to absorb the fluid.

Q Am I right in assuming that rectal sex cannot give you a venereal infection, Doc?

A No, I am afraid that you are totally wrong. Rectal sex can pass on gonorrhoea (the clap), syphilis, chlamydia and herpes. It can give you viral warts. And it is the most efficient way of transmitting HIV, which is the virus that causes AIDS.

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