Doctor's ADVICE: Menses MYSTERY

Q Doc, I stopped the Pill last Christmas, because I had broken up with my boyfriend. Since then, I have missed my menses on two or three occasions. In other words, the period has not arrived.

Is that OK, doc? Or is it very bad for my health? I have heard people say that period blood is 'bad', and that it has to come out. They also say that if it does not emerge, the girl will become sick. Is all this true?

A No, it is not true. Quite a lot of young people still have that idea that menstrual blood is somehow bad or poisonous, and that therefore it has to be got rid of by the body. That is not the case. Menstrual blood is just ordinary blood, though it looks a little different because it has some vaginal secretions in it. The female body does not have to get rid of it.

Indeed, quite a few doctors now think that it would be a good idea if women had fewer periods, because that would be better for their health. In the United States, there are a number of gynaeocolgists who say that it would be an excellent thing if young women only had around three to four periods per year.

So your health is in no danger. It is actually quite common for women to miss one or two menses after they come off the Pill. As long as you are sure that you are not pregnant, there is nothing to fret about.

But if you keep on missing periods, you should check with a doctor.

Did she intentionally infect me?

Q Doctor, I am a guy of 18, and it appears that I recently caught gonorrhoea from a girl in Port Antonio. We had a one-night stand.

What I want to know is this. Would the girl have known that she had 'the clap'? If she did know, then I cannot understand why she exposed me to this risk.

A No, she probably did not know that she had the infection. Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that most women who have gonorrhoea ('the clap') do not get any symptoms in the early months, and so do not know that they have caught the disease. By the time they find out that they are infected, they may have spread the germs to several partners.

I presume that you have been successfully treated. I think you should now try to contact this young woman from Port Antonio, and tell her that it seems like she needs treatment for gonorrhoea.

Is sex with a tampon harmful?

Q Last week, I had sex with a boy for the first time in my life. To be frank, it was a little painful, and rather boring! But I discovered afterwards that I had a tampon inside, without realising it. Will this have done either of us any harm?

A No. Some young couples actually try to use tampons as a sort of contraception, and they always put one in before intercourse.

This is not a good idea, since a tampon is not a very effective barrier to sperms. Also, there can be some minor hygiene problems if you have sex with a tampon inside you. Nevertheless, this episode will not have caused any significant harm to you or the boy.

Incidentally, the fact that you found your first experience of sex to be rather dull and painful is far from unusual!

Testicle pains

Q I got a severe hit in my left testicle last week, while playing football. It still pains me a lot. Should I see a doctor?

A Yes, you should. The testicles are very vulnerable to blows and kicks, which is why all males who play sports should wear a protective gear. It could be that you now have a haematoma, which is a collection of blood near the testicle, rather like a bruise. So you should now see a doctor, who will examine your testicles. If he thinks it is necessary, he will suggest that you have an ultrasound scan.

But the odds are that everything will be OK, and that your testicles will continue to function normally.

Not-so-sexy spots

Q I have a lot of spots on my face, Doc. Could these be due to my recent sexual activity?

A No. Spots and facial acne are not caused from sex.

Sterile at 19?

Q I am a girl of 17, and I have met a wonderful new guy of 19, who assures me he is sterile. He wants to have sex with me. Should I believe him?

A Certainly not! It is most unlikely that a guy of 19 would really have been diagnosed as sterile. Unfortunately, young men often try this trick of saying: "Don't fret; I cannot get you pregnant because I'm sterile." But it is usually a lie.

Are we burning out?

Q Doctor, my boyfriend and I are faithful to each other, and we love each other very much. We are in our late teens. If we continue having sex, will this affect our chances of successfully conceiving a baby some day in the future?

A Unfortunately, your email got a little messed up during transmission, so I hope I have understood it correctly! The fact that you and your boyfriend are having sex at the moment cannot possibly have any adverse effect on your chances of conceiving a baby in the future. Please make sure that you are using some safe method of contraception.

Loosening up?

Q Doc, I have noticed that over the last year or so, my partner's vagina has got a little looser than it used to be. Does this indicate that she is cheating on me?

A This is quite a common question, but it is based on a misunderstanding. Sex with another guy does not make a woman 'looser', as many males imagine.

The probability is that your girlfriend feels a little looser simply because she is getting more relaxed about sex.

Risky business?

Q I am overweight, and I am thinking of having that gastric-band surgery. But, can I assume that there would be no chance of anything going wrong afterwards?

A You would be wrong in making such an assumption. Surgery for obesity is like any other kind of surgery, because complications can occur!

So please think carefully before you decide to take that operation.

No luck yet

Q I am a 21-year-old male. Although I have had a lot of sex, I have never got anybody pregnant so far. I would like to know the cause of this.

A I feel you should regard it as a good thing that so far you have not got any girls pregnant. There are several potential reasons for the fact that none of your partners has conceived. For instance, it is very possible that some of them were on the Pill, or using another method of contraception.

I suppose you are wondering whether you are sterile. That is not very likely, but if you wish you could go to a doctor and ask for a sperm test. That would give you a good indication as to your fertility.

Email questions for Doc to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com. Read more in the Outlook magazine in The Sunday Gleaner.