Doctor's Advice: Afraid she might bite me

Q: I am a teenage guy, and all my friends talk about being given oral sex by girls. I believe it is called fellatio. But doctor, I am real terrified by the idea that if I did this with a girl, she might bite my organ off! Recently, I read somewhere that this had happened to a man. Is the danger very great?

A: No, it isn't. I think that you may have been reading a news item about a guy from St Thomas who was so badly bitten that he nearly lost his male organ. But the reason why that happened was this. He was a rapist, and the young woman did that to him out of self-defence. He has now been jailed.

In ordinary petting between a young man and a young woman, there is virtually no danger of being bitten. Occasionally, an inexperienced female may slightly catch a male's skin with the sharp edges of her teeth. However, is it very rare for any cut to occur.

Anyway, don't feel rushed into oral sex. You have all your adult life before you in which to decide whether you want to do that.

Q: My girlfriend is thinking of going on the Pill, Doc. We have been told that she must take it for three weeks, and then have a week's break. But what we cannot understand is this. Can she get pregnant during the week when she is not taking the Pill?

A: No, she can't. What the Pill does is to stop the woman from ovulating - that is, producing an egg. If she does not ovulate, then she cannot get pregnant during the whole of that month - including the week's 'break'.

What generally happens is that during the break, the young lady will have her menses. And the menses will be reasonably short, light, and pain free.

So the normal pattern of Pill-taking is, as you have been told, three weeks on, and one week off. That will give your girlfriend nearly 100 per cent protection against pregnancy.

But please bear in mind that it is very important that she not miss talking any Pills. If a woman forgets to take her little tablets, then the body can respond by suddenly ovulating. That would expose her to the risk of conception.

Your girlfriend can email me again if she has any further queries concerning the Pill.

Q: Doctor, I am female, age 20, and last night I did something so dumb that I cannot believe it. I let my fiancé make love to me while I still had a tampon inside. I had simply forgotten it was there. Have I done myself any serious harm?

A: I don't think you should blame yourself for this minor error. It is quite easy to forget that one has a tampon inside.

Anyway, it is most unlikely that you have done yourself any harm. The tampon will have been 'squashed up' against the top of your vagina, but that does not matter. I presume that you were able to get it out again, even though it was squashed.

That is a very important point. Tampons must not be left in the vagina for more than a few hours. If they are stuck up at the top end, they can easily become infected, and then cause an unpleasant vaginal discharge.

So if by any chance the tampon is still in there, you must make every effort to get it out. And if you cannot do so, then please see a doctor, or possibly a nurse or midwife, who could easily do this for you.

One final thing: were you and your fiancé using any contraception that night, such as a condom? If not, you must remember that a tampon is not a contraceptive device! Fortunately, the risk of conception in this case is probably low, since you seem to have still been having your menses. So I hope your next period will arrive.

Q: I am 22, and I would like to have one of those coil things, Doc. But I have never been pregnant. And my mother says that only women who have had babies can use coils. Is she correct?

A: It is much more difficult to fit a coil in a woman who has never been pregnant. The reason for this is simple. The doctor or nurse has to insert the device by pushing it through the little tunnel which runs upwards through the woman's cervix.

And in females who have had children, that tunnel is fairly wide. But in those who have not had children, the tunnel is very narrow. Therefore, the nurse or doctor has to push very hard in order to get the coil in. And that hurts.

Nevertheless, if you are prepared to put up with a few minutes of pain during the insertion, it is possible that the coil might be a good choice for you.

Q: I am extremely worried, doctor. Both my girlfriend and I are virgins. But last Wednesday night, she gave me what I think is called a hand job. And afterwards, she got real excited and stroked her clitoris till she orgasmed. Next day, it suddenly occurred to me that perhaps my sperm was on her fingers when she was doing this. A friend told me it is possible for a female climax to kind of 'vacuum up' sperm. Is this true, doctor? And do you think she is pregnant?

A: The odds against her being pregnant are enormous. Nevertheless, if you go in for heavy petting with her again, you should take care to ensure that your seminal fluid stays well away from her vagina.

There is a theory that during female orgasm, the womb may indeed contract in such a way as to suck up sperm from the topmost part of the vagina. But it cannot 'vacuum' them into the vagina from the outside.

Q: A friend has offered to sell me some tablets which he says will make my penis bigger. Do you think I should buy them?

A: Certainly not! There are no tablets which can do this. Pay your friend no mind.

Q: Doc, I have one large breast, and one very small one. I know that people would laugh at me if they saw me without clothes. Could plastic surgery help?

A: Yes, definitely. Please see a doctor. He or she can assess your breasts and then advise you as to the best course of action.

Q: I am a 19-year-old male who has been sexually active for a while now. Sometimes I feel a momentary cramping pain in my testicles, just after ejaculation. Is this serious?

A: No it isn't. You can quit fretting.

Q: My menses last eight days, Doc. Is that too long?

A: Yes. Periods which last as long as this can make you anaemic (weak-blooded). Please see a doctor, who can give you advice about shortening the menses.

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