DOCTOR'S ADVICE: Was I drugged?

Q: Doctor, I need your fatherly help with a desperate problem. I am 28 years old and I am a dancer.

Life has been tough recently, especially as I have a child. I am very short on money and sometimes there is not enough food for my child.

So a few weeks ago, a man approached me after a show and asked me if I would put on 'a private performance' for him and his business associates. He said they would pay me a lot of money. And in fact, he gave me some notes then and there as a deposit.

They wanted me to perform several days later on the north coast at a hotel where they had a large suite. When I got there, I could only see three men which seemed a little strange. I did my dance routine for them, and they gave me some more money.

Then they poured me a drink, which I think may have been drugged because I began feeling weird. We all had something to eat, and then they said they were looking forward to 'Part Two' of my performance. I did not know what they meant by that.

Suddenly, I realised that they were all taking off their clothes and stroking me. When I asked what they were doing, the main man said that if I was a 'good girl', he would give me even more money at the end.

Doctor, the next half-hour was a kind of blur. But I do know that the main man had sex with me and one of his friends gave me oral sex and the third man had anal sex with me which was very uncomfortable.

When they were finished, they sent me to the bathroom, where I cleaned up and put on my clothes. I felt disgusted with myself. Then each of them gave me some more money and a 'tip' before showing me the door.

I feel very ashamed, Doctor. But at least I had quite a bit of money to look after my child. For a week or two, I tried to forget about what happened. However, my monthly period is overdue and I am feeling very bad.

Do you think I am pregnant by the man who had 'regular' sex with me? I know he discharged inside of me, but my memory of that part of the evening is very blurry. What do you think I should do?

A: This is a very alarming story. What strikes me immediately is that you may have been drugged. And under Jamaican law, it is a criminal offence to administer a drug to a woman, so as to have sex with her. That counts as rape.

Personally, I feel that you should tell the police about what happened to you. But unfortunately, it would be very difficult for them to prove that you were drugged, especially as several weeks have passed. Any drug that you were given would have vanished from your body by now.

But one thing you must do now is to have a pregnancy test. If it is positive, then the odds are that the man who had vaginal sex with you could be the father. If your recollection about what happened is correct, the other two men could not have made you pregnant.

Whether the test is positive or not, you must see a doctor right away. There is also the chance that one of these men may have given you a sexually transmitted infection. The doctor will do some tests for that.

And it is very important that you tell him that you were penetrated in three areas. He should take swab tests from the throat, the vagina and the rectum, and send them to the lab. If any of the tests are positive, he will give you the right antibiotics to cure the condition.

He will also advise you about having an HIV test later this year.

This has been a very awful experience for you. Though I do understand that it was desperation that made you take this 'job' and accept the money, I hope that you will avoid any 'engagements' like this in the future.

Please take care of your health.

Q: I am 51 years old and my wife has been taking hormone replacement therapy and it has certainly helped our sex life.

Is there some similar kind of HRT for men that I could use, Doctor?

A: Men's natural hormone levels decline at a far slower rate than women. Therefore, the vast majority of men do not need any HRT.

But a few men do suffer a significant decline in male hormone levels when they are middle aged or elderly. For these men, it can be helpful to take testosterone.

Q: My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for a year and a half. So we visited a gynaecologist, and she did a test on my tubes and a sperm test on my husband. Both tests were normal.

Then she did an ultrasound, and found that I have a condition called 'PCOS'. She put me on two drugs called metformin and clomiphene. But will these really help me get pregnant?

A: Well, PCOS stands for polycystic ovary syndrome. This is very common. As the name suggests, it is characterised by tiny fluid-filled cysts in the ovaries.

People who suffer from this are usually overweight, and need to lose some weight.

The drugs that the doctor gave you are the right treatment to help your fertility, so please keep on taking them. There is a very reasonable chance that you will get pregnant.

Q: I have a girlfriend in St James, who I love very much. We hope to get married. But every time I have sex with her, she gets a yeast infection.

Is it me that is causing this?

A: Perhaps, although yeast is not necessarily acquired through sexual contact. Nevertheless, it is possible that you are carrying the fungus on your genitals.

My advice is that both of you should use an anti-thrush cream, such as clotrimazole, three times a day for a week, before your next intercourse.

If that does not help, then both of you should see a doctor and ask her if you should both take an anti-fungal tablet.

Q: I have been quite depressed. Is it true that this can cause strokes?

A: American research suggests that strokes may be more prevalent in women who are depressed. So please see a doctor for some antidepressant medication.

Email questions to: editor@gleanerjm.com and read more Doctor's Advice in the Saturday Gleaner.