Doctor's Advice? Can I get infected by urine

Q Doctor, I am 19 and a female student. Last week, I accidentally touched a few drops of urine, which had been left on the seat of a toilet in a north coast hotel. I have been fretting about this for days. Could that urine have given me AIDS? Or maybe some other sexual infection?

A Please relax. You are in no danger. Contrary to what many people think, urine usually contains no germs at all. But even if these droplets had been left behind by someone who had a sexually transmitted infection, it is most unlikely that you have caught anything.

Nevertheless, it is a good general principle to avoid touching any drops of fluid that one finds in a public toilet. And always wash your hands after visiting a toilet.

Q I am a female, just reached my 20th birthday, and I do not know much about sex. However, in an effort to learn more, I have been trying to make some searches on the Internet by googling the words sexual intercourse and similar expressions. The result has been that I have found myself looking at all kinds of what I suppose must be porn videos. What alarms me about these is that they seem to suggest that women should go in for all sorts of strange sexual activities with a variety of men, all at the same time. Several times I have seen stories in which a woman was penetrated by three guys at once, while stimulating two other men with her hands. I find this quite bewildering, and even disgusting! Do such activities actually go on in the real world?

A Only very rarely. The stuff you have seen on the screen represents the fantasies of a lot of males, particularly young ones. You see, many guys like to get excited about the thought of girls getting up to all kinds of crazy sexual activity, involving multiple partners.

But in the real world, away from blue movies, there are scarcely any women who go in for such foolish antics. That is just as well because a female who took part in those bizarre sex orgies would rapidly end up pregnant, and infected with a sexually transmitted infection.

You say that you have grown up knowing very little about sex. So I would recommend that you find some understanding mature lady, like a nurse, midwife or counsellor, who could tell you more about it.

Q I am a guy of 19, and I am very frightened because I have noticed white lumpy bits in my seminal fluid. They are like grains of rice. Is this a sign of some serious disease?

A You can quit fretting. A rice grain appearance in the semen is perfectly normal, and many males notice it at times. The cause of this appearance is not known, but it is not associated with any disease.

Q I was recently put on the Pill, and the doctor told me that it would make my terrible menses much better, i.e. pain-free and less heavy. However, after three months, the periods are better, but still pretty bad. Why?

A The brand of Pill which you are taking is a real mild one. So it only has a moderate effect on the menses.

Please go back to the doctor, and ask her to put you on a next Pill. You need a brand that is slightly stronger. That should take away your pain, and make your menses short and regular.

Q I have met a great new girl, and last week I had sex with her for the first time. Only problem is, Doc, when I am inside her I can feel a strange tickling sensation. It is as though some kind of thread or a string was rubbing against me. What is going on? Should I tell her about this? Does she have some disease?

A No, she does not. I am sure that she has simply been fitted with a coil. A coil, also known as an intrauterine device or IUD, is a small object which is put into the womb, so as to stop the woman getting pregnant. What you can feel is the thread of the device, which is coming down into the vagina. That is quite normal.

Q Hello, Doc, I am a 19-year-old teen seeking your advice. I have been real self-conscious about my breasts because one of them is bigger than the other. I suppose it is about one cup-size bigger. Am I abnormal? Is something wrong with me? I do know what I should do.

A Breast experts say that most women have mammaries, which are slightly different in size. But usually the difference is so tiny that no one notices it.

In a very few females, the breasts are of such differing sizes that their appearance is real distressing for them. For instance, they may be flat-chested on one side, but have a large breast on the other. These women often undergo corrective surgery.

In your case, the difference between the two breasts seems to be just one cup-size. I am very doubtful if it would be worth taking an operation to correct such a small variation. The procedure would be expensive, and there is some pain involved.

Unfortunately, there is no other way of equalising the size of your breasts. My best suggestion is that when you are wearing clothes, you should use a small breast pad or 'falsie' to make both sides look the same.

You are probably fretting about what a future lover will think when you take your clothes off. Frankly, I would say that most guys would not mind in the slightest about the fact that one of your breasts is slightly bigger than the other.

Q I am a male of 22 years, who sometimes shaves his pubic area. This morning was one such occasion, as I decided to do some personal grooming. To my amazement, I noticed a small bump in my pubic area. It is painless, and I supposed that if I hadn't shaved, I wouldn't have noticed it. Attached to this email is a photo of the strange bump. I have had unsafe sex on a few occasions. What do you think is wrong?

A Unfortunately, your photo has got rather distorted, so I cannot see your bump. From your description, I am sure that it is not something serious.

For safety's sake, I feel you should just let a doctor take a look at it. But my forecast is that it will turn out to be just an inflamed hair follicle. Those are common in people, both male and female, who make a habit of shaving the pubic hair. Fortunately, these little lumps are harmless.

Email questions to Doc at saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com and read more in the Outlook Magazine tomorrow.