Doctor's Advice: Party sex - Am I pregnant?

Q: Doc, what are the chances of getting pregnant from just one act of sex? I am female, age 21, and this week I met a very handsome guy at a party. Although I did not mean to, I went to bed with him. We just had sex once, and then he got up and left. I know I should have taken the morning-after pill, but I did not. So in your medical opinion, is it likely that I am pregnant?

A: Experts say that the chances of getting pregnant from having sex just once are around 20:1. In other words, the odds are that you are not pregnant.

However, a lot depends on where in your menstrual cycle you had reached on that night. If you were near your ovulation day, then the chances that you are pregnant are very much higher.

Ovulation day is generally around a fortnight before a period is due. Making love at that time is very dangerous. A fertile young woman who has sex on a night when she is ovulating will generally conceive a baby. As you say, it is now too late for the emergency contraceptive. So you will just have to wait and see whether your menses arrive or not. I wish you well.

Q: I am a teenage guy, and I just cannot get a full erection because my foreskin is too tight. It simply will not roll back. What can I do, Doc? Must I have an operation?

A: If the foreskin will not go back, then that is an unhygienic situation because it is impossible for the guy to wash underneath it.

Also, it sounds like the tight foreskin is preventing a proper erection. So it seems to me that you probably do need a circumcision operation. That procedure removes the foreskin. These days, doctors do try and avoid the operation if possible because it can have side effects. But I think you may have to have it.

What you should do now is to go and see a doctor, and ask him to examine you. If he feels that you need to be circumcised, he will send you to a surgeon-specialist who can do that for you. Good luck!

Q: Doc, my fiancé spends all day looking at porn on his computer. In most of these stories that he watches, the guy finishes by discharging outside the girl's body, like on her belly. As a result of seeing all this, he has become convinced that it is the best thing to do. So when we have sex, he now insists on pulling out at the last minute, and orgasming outside me. I find this very frustrating. I am going to get him to read your answer in The Gleaner. Could you tell him that what he is doing is wrong?

A: Well, first of all I really wonder if you should be planning to marry a young man who apparently spends all day watching 'blue movies' instead of paying attention to you. You are quite correct in saying that in these pornographic movies the leading male actor usually ends up by climaxing outside the female.

Indeed, in a small scientific survey which was carried out in 2011, a researcher found that in over 70 per cent of 'blue films', the 'hero' orgasmed on the lady's belly, breasts, or face. A lot of young people have got the idea that this is normal. But it isn't.

The reason why the directors of these films instruct the male actor to discharge outside the female's body is quite simple. Apparently, many viewers like to see the man's orgasm as a sort of proof that genuine, exciting sex has occurred. In the real world, the usual thing is for a male to orgasm inside his partner's vagina. That is what most people want - most of the time. And of course, that is the way that nature has programmed men and women, so that babies can be made!

There is nothing wrong with climaxing outside from time to time, especially as this kind of withdrawal does at least lower the chances of unwanted pregnancy to some extent. But to do it all the time is rather odd and is very likely to cause the female partner to become very frustrated Clearly, that has happened with you. So by all means show my answer to your fiancé. I hope that it will encourage him to change his ways.

Q: Last week, I was suddenly hit with very bad pain in one of my testicles, Doc. After a few hours, they had to take me to hospital. And then I was told that I must be operated on to remove my testicle! I do not understand why this happened, or what was wrong with me. And I would like to know if my sex life will be OK.

A: Sorry to hear about this. Clearly, what you had was a condition called torsion of a testis. This is quite a common disorder in young guys, and all men should be aware that it can occur.

What happens is that the testicle gets twisted around in the scrotum. The twisting cuts off the blood supply and causes intense pain. If the young man is diagnosed quickly enough, then a surgeon can 'unwind' the testicle and save it.

But in your case, it was obviously too late to save your testicle, and they had to remove it. I am sorry to hear about that. Nevertheless, there is good news. The other 'ball' should take on the work of two. So you will be capable of erections and of having sex. And you will probably be able to become a babyfather.

Q: I am female, and all my friends seem to have passed through puberty long ago. But I don't think that I have. All I have noticed is that I have got a lot taller recently. I am 16. Help!

A: Well, your recent growth spurt is encouraging news because often, that is the first sign of puberty in girls. The various features of puberty generally occur in this order:

1. Growth spurt;

2. Breast development;

3. Pubic hair appears;

4. Armpit hair appears;

5. Menses start.

So maybe you will start developing breasts, soon. However, at the age of 16, you really should be further ahead with puberty. Therefore, I think you should now see a doctor. She will check you over, and probably arrange for some hormone tests. Don't fret! I am sure all will be well.

Q: I am a guy of 21 and I am still a virgin, though I pretend otherwise to my friends. I have found a girl who says she loves me and wants to have sex with me. But I am very scared that I might get nervous and lose my erection.

A: Well, that happens to a lot of guys when they first try to have sex. But tell your girlfriend that you are nervous. I expect that she will not mind and will want to help you. Please take care to use contraception when you and she do eventually have intercourse.

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