Will steroids make me bigger?

• Q. Doc, please do not laugh at me, but I am very worried about the size of my male organ. I am 18, and I am sure that I not well-enough endowed by nature. A friend who does a lot of weight training has told me that it is possible to obtain steroids that will make the organ bigger. And I have seen on the Internet where such steroids are advertised. Do you think I should try them?

A. I urge you to have nothing to do with this crazy idea of taking steroids to try to enlarge your penis! There are many different steroid drugs, but all of them are supposed to be only available on a doctor's prescription. The reason for that is the simple fact that they can often be dangerous.

The type of steroids, which are used illegally by some bodybuilders and weightlifters, and by certain other sportsmen, are employed in order to try and increase muscle bulk. Unfortunately, one of their common side effects is erectile dysfunction - that is, impotence or 'losing your nature'.

Other steroids are, as you say, extensively advertised on the Internet, with claims that they will lengthen young men's penises. These claims are absolute nonsense. So, please do not try taking steroids. If you really think that your penis is too small, then go to a doctor, and let him assess the size of it. Frankly, the odds are that, like so many young men, you are mistaken in thinking that you are 'too small'.

• Q. Last year, when I was 16, I met a wonderful guy who is the same age as myself. We fell in love. The last 12 months or so have been marvellous. But now problems have occurred. Several weeks ago, he told me where he was not so sure that he still loved me. I know he is getting very interested in other girls. He has talked about marrying somebody else. I have been distressed by this because I thought that we would be 'true lovers' for life. So during the last fortnight, I have been trying to be real nice to him, and give him sex whenever he wants. As a result of that, it seems like everything is going a little better. Last night, he told me that he thought that maybe he does love me after all. But I am experiencing low feelings over all these things. Doc, do you think that he really loves me, and will marry me one day? And how can I make sure that I hang on to him?

A. Sorry to hear about all this. But I feel that I have to acquaint you with some basic facts of life. The truth is that many teenagers fall heavily in love. When a young couple are completely besotted with each other, they usually think that this happy state of affairs will last for life. They may even imagine that they will somehow be together for all eternity.

Well, that kind of teenage love is a beautiful thing. But very often, what happens after a year or so is that one of the couple starts falling 'out of love' with the other one. Indeed, from my experience I would say that well over half of all teenage love affairs run into this sort of trouble after a while. So your experience is far from unusual.

Now when one partner starts to waver in his or her affection for the other one, can things ever be repaired.? The answer is 'yes, sometimes'. However, in many cases the person who starts falling out of love does not ever return to a state of being in love.

So what I am saying to you is that there is a high chance that this young guy will not go back to being desperately in love with you. You have to prepare yourself for the fact that this relationship, lovely though it once was, may soon be over.

Admittedly, all is not lost yet! I think that you should continue seeing this boy for a little while, just in case matters improve. But I do not feel that allowing him sex whenever time he wants it is such a good idea. That is really like giving him your body in the hope that he will love you again. It is unlikely to work.

Also, please, please, please make sure that if you do have sex with him, you use adequate contraception. If you got pregnant now, that would make an already-difficult situation much more confused. Summing up, I am sure that you must try to come to terms with the sad fact that this once-happy teenage love affair may be approaching its end.

• Q. I need to use a lubricant when I have sex with my fiancé. But a nurse whispered to me that I must 'on no account use Vaseline'. Why did she say this? Can Vaseline harm the female body?

A. No, it will not harm you. But the problem with vaseline is that is makes holes in condoms (and also in female rubber barrier devices). So if you need a vaginal lubricant, use a purpose-designed one which you can buy from large pharmacies.

• Q. Doctor, I am a guy of 18, and last weekend I managed to have sex with no less than four different girls. However, by Monday the skin of my penis was quite sore and tender, and possibly also a little bit itchy. Is this a symptom of gonorrhoea or some other sexually transmitted infection (STI)?

A. No, these symptoms do not indicate gonorrhoea or one of the STIs. They may just be due to excessive friction on the fairly delicate skin of the penis. However, it is just possible that you have thrush, which is a real common skin infection, particularly in hot countries like Jamaica. The thrush fungus loves heat!

So my first piece of advice to you is to buy yourself a tube of anti-thrush cream from a pharmacy, and use it three times a day for a week. If the symptoms have not gone by then, please consult a doctor.

My second piece of advice is this. It is foolishness to engage in sex with all these girls! Having four young women in a weekend may be real satisfying but, as you realise, it does expose you to serious risks of an STI. Also, what would happen if you got one of these young ladies pregnant?  Worse still, what would happen if you impregnated all four of them?

• Q. My parents brought me up to avoid smoking, but a lot of my friends are trying to persuade me to try it! So is it really bad for the health, Doc?

A. Very definitely. Smokers get lots of diseases that non-smokers rarely get. They generally live shorter lives. And they tend to look older too. So I appeal to you: do not take up this crazy habit.

• Q. If I went on the Pill, Doc, would it ease my severe period pain?

A. Almost certainly. The Pill generally makes the menses shorter, lighter, more regular and pain-free.

Email questions for Doc to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.