DOCTOR'S ADVICE - Is it safe for pregnant teens to have sex?

Q.  Doctor, I am a pregnant teenager. I deeply regret the fact that I let this pregnancy happen, but it did. And now I am determined to have the baby, and to bring it up to be a good and happy person. But I am surprised to discover that guys still find me attractive. In particular, one older man, who is around 27, has been trying to persuade me to have sex with him. Ordinarily, I would tell him no, but he has been saying something that has made me sit up and think. Doc, he claims that it is a well-known medical fact that if a woman has sex during pregnancy, that will make her labour and delivery much easier so that she will have little pain. Is that true?

A. I am sorry to hear that you have accidentally become pregnant, but it is good that you are approaching it in such a positive way.

Now, unfortunately, quite a few men have discovered that pregnant teenage girls can be a promising target for seduction. Males often like to have sex with expectant females because they know that there is no risk of any further pregnancy as the girl is already carrying a baby.

Also, some men find pregnant women attractive because their breasts may have got bigger as a result of changes in the hormones and because they may be having more copious vaginal secretions. I regret to tell you that a lot of guys try to take advantage of pregnant teenagers by spinning them this crazy story about sex being good for them and claiming that it will make labour easier.

Some men have developed a bizarre myth to the effect that washing the baby's head in sperm is a good thing for the child. That is nonsense! The sperm does not really get anywhere near the child's head. And there is no way that seminal fluid can be good for either mother or child.

Indeed, it is important to realise that having casual sex during pregnancy could easily expose both the baby and you to infection, and that might be serious health-wise. So please pay this guy and his tall tales no mind. I hope you are getting good ante-natal care. Throughout the pre-natal period, please be guided by your midwife. I trust the birth will go well.

Q. I am a guy of 18, and I went to the doctor because of a soreness in my privates. He has diagnosed it as balanitis. What is that, please?

A. Well, the word 'balanitis' just means inflammation of the head or glans of the penis. This can be due to various causes. But the commonest is the fungal infection known as thrush, which many people in Jamaica refer to as yeast. I imagine that the doctor has given you some cream to use. And if the cream clears everything up, then that is fine. But please do not have sex until you are completely better.

Q. My mother has been very sick recently and the doctor is treating her, but she wants to go to St James to try out the miracle tree she has heard of. It is a long and difficult journey for her. Should I drive her there?

A I have heard many reports of the so-called miracle tree. Its leaves are widely sold in the Montego Bay area, and it is very popular in Pakistan and in parts of Africa. But I have not seen any convincing medical evidence that it really works, or any good information about whether it can do you any harm. Also, there has to be a possibility that the leaves could clash with the medication which the doctor is giving your mom.

Your mother does not need to go to MoBay to find a miracle tree. If she wishes, she can just ask somebody to bring her some leaves from St James. However, I do not think that she should try them unless her doctor says that it is OK to do so.

Q. Doc, I desperately need your advice. I have been getting blisters on the outside of my vulva, particularly at period times. My partner and I have had various blood tests in recent months, but they have all come back negative. Do you think these blisters could be due to poor circulation?

A. No, I do not. I am sorry to tell you that recurrent blisters on the vulva may well be due to herpes. Next time you have an attack, you should go immediately to a doctor or clinic where they are knowledgeable about sexually transmitted infections. They will look at the blisters, and tell you whether you have herpes. Good luck!

Q. Is it true that if a guy sucks on a girl's nipples, that can change their shape permanently?

A.. No, there is no scientific evidence that this is so.

Q. I am a 19-year-old guy, and during the last few days, I have been terrified! This is because I have noticed that the skin of my organ seems to be splitting away from the head. Is this serious, Doc? And is it caused from sex?

A. Relax! It is most unlikely that anything serious is wrong. In many young men, the foreskin is still slightly stuck to the base of the glans (or 'head'). It is held there by sticky pieces of tissue which are called adhesions.

During the teen years, the guy gets many more erections, and as a result, the adhesions gradually break down. When this happens, the foreskin gradually comes away from the glans. If you can afford it, I would like you to see a doctor so he can check out your organ. But the odds are that he will be able to tell you that everything is fine.

Q. Good day. I am a 22-year-old lady, and I haven't been having sex as regularly as I used to. My boyfriend is 40 and he has seemed a bit distant recently. The other night, he said, "We need to talk." I said ok. Then he told me that he thinks I am much smarter than he is, so he feels threatened. I believe his friends have a lot to do with this because they say that I have changed him. He used to be wild before he met me. Do you think he wants to leave?

A. Sorry, but when people say "we need to talk", that usually does mean that they want out of the relationship. So I fear that you must prepare for him to go. You say that the two of you are not having much sex these days. That is probably a good thing because it is vitally important that you do not become pregnant at a time when your relationship is probably breaking up. In fact, I would advise you not to have sex with him again. When relationships are in trouble, sex often just confuses things. I wish you well.

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