Doctor's Advice - Overbearing urges

• Am I gay?

Q: I am a guy of 21 and five years ago, I was 'interfered with' by another male. He brought me to an orgasm, but I did not enjoy it. I like girls very much, but I have not had the courage to ask one for a date. Do you think I am a homosexual, Doc?

A: Sounds pretty unlikely to me. I think you should try to put that past experience out of your mind. Have a little courage, and ask a girl out! You will enjoy it.

• Did I contract an STI?

Q:I had sex with a guy two weeks ago and since then, I have had to keep rushing to urinate. Also, it pains me when I go. Have I caught a sexually transmitted infection, Doc?

A: The probability is that you just have cystitis, which is very common in young women. Please see a doctor, so he or she can discuss the problem with you and give you some medication.

• Double the cost

Q: Ever since I reached 19, my menses have been arriving twice for the month. That is costing me a lot of money in sanitary products. Is all this twice-a-month stuff normal, Doc?

A: No, it isn't. And if it goes on, you will become weak-blooded (anaemic). So please see a doctor right away. He or she will check you out, and I am sure the doctor will be able to help you so that soon, you will be having periods just once per month.

• Three-in-one chance

Q: Doctor, please do not criticise me publicly for what I have done. I am a guy of 17, and last week, I somehow managed to go to bed with three girls in one day. I did not use protection. What are the chances that I might have got one of them pregnant? And is there any possibility I might have caught an STI?

A: Well, I hope that you realise that having sex with three young women in fairly quick succession is very unwise. If they find out about each other, I think you could be on the receiving end of some serious anger!

Now, you asked me about the chances of pregnancy. I note that you did not use a condom. I hope that the girls were on the Pill, or employing some other form of self-protection.

But if nobody was using any kind of contraception, then I would estimate that your chances of having created a baby last week are around one in seven. Furthermore, there is a smaller chance that you may have got two of them pregnant - or even all three! You would then be in some difficulty.

You also asked me whether you could have caught an STI. Well, any act of sexual intercourse without a condom does inevitably carry some risk of an STI. And having sex with three girls simply trebles that risk.

Have you got any symptoms of an STI? In males, the commonest symptoms are a discharge from the penis and an intense burning pain while passing urine. If you are in the slightest doubt, please see a doctor for tests. As it relates to pregnancy, you will just have to wait and see if the three girls' menses arrive. Maybe you should keep your fingers crossed. And your trousers on.

• Can I get a breast infection?

Q: I am a 20-year-old female. Last night, I let a guy stroke my breasts and do some sexual things to them. Could I catch an infection in this way?

A: That is very unlikely. Very occasionally, syphilis can be transmitted to the woman's nipples, but I have not seen such a case for many years.

• Limited entry

Q: Doc, my fiancée gets very uptight whenever I try to have sex with her. Some nights, it is nearly impossible. She says that sex has always been very painful for her so that no guy has ever entered her fully. Why is this, please?

A:My guess is that she has a condition called vaginismus. The best course now would be for her to consult a sympathetic woman doctor who could examine her and then teach her ways to relax her vaginal muscles. Maybe you two should get this problem fixed before you decide definitely about getting married.

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