Doctor's Advice - I swallowed my girlfriend's Pill
Published:Saturday | October 22, 2011 | 12:00 AM
- Q: Help me, Doc! I accidentally swallowed one of my girlfriend's contraceptive pills last night. It was in the dark and I thought it was an aspirin. Will I be OK? I am worried that the hormones could have a real bad effect on me.
A: You will be perfectly OK. You will not turn into a woman. The amount of female hormone contained in one contraceptive pill is so small that it could not do a guy any harm.
I used to know a male doctor who gave lectures on the Pill. About once a year, he would swallow a contraceptive pill in front of his female audience in order to show them how safe it was. And he came to no harm at all. However, under no circumstances should you take any more! Please arrange things on your bedside table so that the aspirin cannot possibly get mixed up with your girlfriend's Pills.
- Q: Hi, Doc. I am female, age 20, and my problem is that whenever I have sex, I cannot tell whether I orgasm or not. Could you tell me how I can find out?
A: Generally speaking, if a female does not know whether she has orgasmed, then she has not.
There are various external signs of female orgasm, such as crying out, tensing the muscles of the body, and curling the toes. But in your own mind, you should experience orgasm as an intensely pleasurable sensation, which arrives in waves at intervals of around 0.8 seconds.
If you do not have that emotional experience, then it is most unlikely that you have climaxed. Why not talk to a youth counsellor or therapist in order to discuss the question of orgasms? She can also advise you about safe sex.
- Q: I am a 21-year-old male student, and I am convinced that I have proof that my penis is shrinking! When I was around 19, I measured it with my girlfriend, using various instruments, just to be accurate. I have been measuring it again recently, and it does not match up to the readings of two years ago. I even made my girlfriend remeasure it on several occasions, and she has confirmed my theory that it is indeed shrinking. What should I do?
A: Please try to relax and not to fret. I have often been consulted by young men who thought their penises were shrinking. In every single case, they were wrong.
The length and girth of the male organ varies greatly at different times of the day, depending on such factors as:
- Whether the weather is cool or hot;
- Whether you are in air conditioning;
- Whether you are sexually excited;
- Whether you are nervous or scared.
This variability often causes young guys to think that the penis is getting smaller or disappearing. Indeed, there are parts of the world (notably southeast Asia) where the belief in shrinking penis is so strong, that men run up and down the streets in panic, asking their friends to hang on to the penis 'before it disappears completely'. Almost unbelievably, some of them try to pin it to the thigh in a crazy attempt to stop it from vanishing.
This penis-shrinking syndrome is known as koro or, in Chinese, 'shuk yang'. It occasionally occurs as a sort of mass hysteria, in which a lot of young guys run around screaming, all convinced that their organs are disappearing.
Fortunately, you have not reached that stage! But I do think that anxiety about the size of your organ has led you to believe that it is getting smaller. So what you should do now is to go to a doctor, and let him examine you. He will check your equipment and make sure that you do not have any rare form of hormone deficiency. I am sure he will be able to reassure you that everything is OK. I wish you well.
- Q: My question is pertaining to my wife. At the moment, I live in The Bahamas, and she is in Jamaica. She has been complaining of abdominal pains recently, which started soon after she had a baby. She has had some tests, which I cannot quite remember at the moment. Could you see her?
A: No, I am afraid that I cannot see her. She needs to consult a gynaecologist. She should also have various investigations, including an ultrasound scan and probably some blood tests, to assess the level of certain hormones.
It is very important to rule out the possibility of any serious conditions, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, salpingitis and ectopic pregnancy. If you would like further advice, send me more details of your wife's test results. But she should see that gynaecologist now.
- Q: Two weeks ago, I was visiting Black River, where I met the most beautiful girl and fell in love with her. Unfortunately, she dumped me, and does not want to see me again. But now I have noticed that I have a little discharge that is staining the inside of my pants. Could this be syphilis, Doc?
A: It does not sound remotely like syphilis. But you could have caught chlamydia, or possibly gonorrhoea. Presumably you had sex with this beautiful girl. So it may well be that you caught an infection from her. Therefore, you must go to a doctor or clinic immediately to have tests. If it transpires that you are indeed infected, you will be given treatment. But also, you should try and contact this girl, and tell her that she needs medical help too.
- Q: I have just become pregnant by my fiancé. Is it OK for us to continue having sex, even though I am now expecting a baby?
A: Yes, it is OK - unless your midwife or doctor advises otherwise. But take it a little gently, especially in the second half of the pregnancy.
- Q: Last weekend, because I was so mad with my mother, I went out and had sex with four boys. I did not enjoy it much, and did not discharge with any of them. But does this episode mean that I am likely to have contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), Doctor?
A: Well, if you have sex with four males, that is likely to quadruple your chances of catching an STI. So let us hope that all these guys were 'clean'. STIs often produce no symptoms in women. I feel that you should now see a doctor, and have some tests. You should also consider the possibility of whether any of these guys has made you pregnant. Please bear in mind that being mad with your mother is not a good reason to go out and have sex.
- Q: I am male, age 20. While I was in Negril last week, I got drunk and let a guy kiss and fondle me. Now I feel horrified. Does this experience make me a homosexual?
A: No, it does not. Only the passage of time will reveal how your sexuality is going to turn out. For the moment, the best thing you can do is to avoid having too much to drink.
Email questions to Doc at saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com and read more in the Outlook Magazine tomorrow.