Two guys, Two days... ... could I be pregnant?

Q: Doc, I am deeply ashamed to admit that I let two boys have sex with me, on successive days. This was on the 24th and 25th days of my cycle. Do you think I could be pregnant? I am not on the Pill.

A: Well, I need hardly say to you that this was an unwise thing to do. I am sure you realise that.

I just wonder why you did it? Have you some problem of self-esteem, perhaps? Or were you angry with someone, like an ex-boyfriend, and were you trying to get some sort of revenge by sleeping with two guys?

Anyway, let us assume that you have counted your cycle correctly, which means that you should have started counting from the first day of your last period. You say that you had sex with these boys on the 24th and 25th days of your cycle.

If your normal cycle is a 28-day one, then there is a reasonable chance that you have 'got away with it'. Females can get pregnant on the 24th or 25th days of their cycles, but fertility is not at its highest then.

However, by now you will know whether your menses have arrived. If they have not, then I am afraid you must do a pregnancy test immediately.

Q: I am a guy of 18, and a virgin. However, I have been doing some work for a much older lady in St James. She is still real attractive. When I had completed my various tasks, she gave me a glass of juice and a sandwich, and then said, 'Now I have a reward for you'. To my amazement, she then unzipped my shorts and gave me oral sex, Doc. I climaxed almost immediately. Well, I am now fretting. Could my contact with this lady have given me any infection, in your medical opinion?

A: There is a small chance that you might have picked up chlamydia from the older lady. And there is an even smaller risk of gonorrhoea, which many young people call the clap.

However, if she is not a promiscuous person, then the danger is not very great. If you have not experienced any symptoms, such as pain in passing urine or a discharge from the penis, then you should be OK.

If you are in any doubt, get a check-up from a doctor. And please consider carefully whether you should go on working for this woman. If you do, then that will probably lead to fuller sexual relations with her.

Q: I am 17 and female. Doctor, is it true that a girl has to discharge in order to become pregnant? My boyfriend says that as long as I do not climax, I will be quite safe.

A: Frankly, what your boyfriend is saying is just foolishness. Women do not have to orgasm in order to get pregnant.

In fact, statistically speaking, it is likely that most conceptions occur without the female orgasming.

If you feel that you must go on having sex with this young man, please see a doctor and get some good advice about sex and contraception.

Q: I am 20, and I am thinking of going on the Pill. I smoke 10 cigarettes a day. Is that OK, Doc?

A: Smoking is a real bad risk to health, particularly as it can cause clotting (thrombosis) in the tubes that carry blood. The Pill can also cause thrombosis.

And although the risks of the oral contraceptive are very low at your age, smoking does increase them considerably. So I would very strongly advise you to give up the cigarettes.

Q: Doctor, I am a 21-year-old male. And I have never had any interest in girls, or in any kind of sex. Other guys tell me that they masturbate and have wet dreams. But I just never have these experiences. Is there anything wrong with me?

A: I feel that a doctor should examine you, to see if you have normal male secondary sexual characteristics. These include:

Hair on the body;

Hair in the armpits;

Pubic hair;

Beard growth on the face.

Also, he will note whether you have a reasonably deep voice, and a prominent 'adam's apple' in the throat, and whether you have got normally developed muscles.

If he is in any doubt whether you have a lack of male hormone, or perhaps a genetic problem, then I

am sure that he will order lab tests. I wish you well.

Q: I find that just before my menses, my breasts swell up and get rather tender. Is this serious, Doc? Could it be cancer?

A: No, it is not serious. And it is certainly not breast cancer. For many young women, it is normal for the breasts to swell up like this before a period, and to get a little more sensitive.

Next time they are in this state, ask a doctor to check them out. But I am sure she will tell you that all is well.

Q: Doctor, I learned in college that it is Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that causes cancer of the cervix. I also learned that this virus is transmitted through sex. I have only had sex with a boy once. But could I go to a doctor and get myself tested for that virus?

A: No. Alas, there is no easy test for HPV. However, you are right in what you say about this virus being the main cause of cancer of the cervix. I would strongly recommend that you have regular Pap Smear tests throughout your adult life. That advice applies to all women who have ever had sex.

Q: I love my boyfriend, and he says he loves me. We are supposed to be getting married next year. But I am amazed to find that night after night, he spends hours looking at 'blue' websites on our computer. Why does he do this? And does he really love me?

A: It is a rather sad fact that many of today's male youth do spend quite a bit of time gazing at pornographic websites. Some of them do it even though they genuinely love their partners.

However, I am concerned that your guy is spending hours each night gazing at sites which presumably feature naked 'lovelies' disporting themselves. This does not suggest that he is very devoted to you.

If this relationship is to continue, I think you should try to persuade him to go with you to a counsellor, in order to discuss your future together.

Q: Doc, if my girlfriend goes on the Pill, can I be quite sure that this drug will not affect me?

A: Yes, you will be perfectly OK. In the early days of the Pill, there were concerns that the hormones in it might affect the male partner.

However, that has not turned out to be the case.

Q: Could I give my fiancé viagra in order to make her more interested in sex, Doc?

A: No. Research has shown that viagra usually has no worthwhile effect on women.

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