Doctor's Advice: No nipple reaction

I am married, and my wife no longer feels any pleasure when I stimulate her breasts. Why is this, Doc?

Well, I know of no physical illness which prevents a woman from experiencing sexual pleasure in her breasts; however, I have encountered numerous cases in which a female has lost sexual sensation in her breasts and nipples because of psychological factors. In many of these instances, the basic problem was something to do with the patient's child, or with the question of motherhood.

For instance, I can remember the following:

A woman who lost all sexual feelings in the breasts because her daughter had died.

A young woman who lost sex sensations in her nipples after she miscarried.

An older lady whose breasts became virtually numb after her beloved son broke off all contact with her and went to live in a faraway country.

A girl who was desperate for a baby, but who could not become pregnant.

Does anything like that apply to your wife? In any case, I believe she should see a counsellor or therapist in order to try and explore the reasons why her breasts have become so unresponsive.

I wish you both well.

Doctor, last Saturday night I was fooling around with a boy and we went further than we should have. The result was that somehow I let him orgasm over the upper part of my right thigh, just next to my 'privates'. Now I am terrified that some of his sperm might have got inside me and caused a pregnancy. Is this possible?

Just about. But it would be very unusual. I suggest that you wait and see if your menses arrive. If they don't, then please do a pregnancy test.

The odds are that everything will be OK, but try not to take such risks again. Remember: this boy will probably want more next time! Do not let him have it!

I am a male age 19. I have discovered a bump on my penis. To be exact, it's on the split from which the foreskin runs. It would seem like it's really part of the skin. It is a bit pale. I can actually lift it and 'flip' it from side to side. I would like to know what it is.

In quite a few young males, the skin of the organ is partly stuck to the ridge round the head. It is held there by sticky bands of tissue called adhesions.

Generally, these adhesions start breaking down in the teenage years, especially when sexual activity commences. The result is that the guy notices that the skin appears to be splitting away from the head, and it can look quite bumpy until it all settles down.

So I think that is what is happening to you. I don't believe that you have anything to fret about, but it would be a good idea to have a doctor give your organ a quick check to make sure that all is well.

Doc, can a female have a yeast infection and not know it? I ask because my girlfriend recently had yeast. I had to be treated, too. So I am wondering if I got it from my previous girlfriend, who showed no sign of this disease.

It is usually impossible to find out precisely why a female gets yeast. One simply cannot say: 'Oh, she got it from this guy, and he had got it the previous week from that other girl'.

Yeast is not like that. It seems likely that large numbers of women carry a small amount of yeast in their bodies without having any symptoms. Then something happens, which makes the yeast flare up and start causing problems such as soreness, itching, and a white discharge.

To sum up: you are never going to be able to say with any certainty where this yeast infection came from.

Does lesbianism cause AIDS as I have heard?

As I am sure you know, AIDS is caused from the HIV virus, which is transmitted from person to person by various types of sex.

Technically, it would be possible to pass on the HIV germ through lesbian activities, but transmission by that route is fairly unusual. Much more commonly, HIV is passed from one person to another by 'straight' vaginal sex, or by rectal sex.

I have been told that a girl cannot get pregnant unless she climaxes. Is that true, Doc?

No, it is nonsense. Very frequently, women who have not discharged become pregnant.

Bear in mind that rape quite often leads to pregnancy. And female orgasm most definitely does not occur during rape.

Last month I went to bed with a much older woman who is a health professional. I have some tiny spots on my penis, which have been there a long time. Well, Doc, she looked at these and told me that I had Fordyce spots. Now I am worried. Are Fordyce spots serious? Should I try and get them treated?

It is rather unfortunate that the older lady said this to you and made you fret. Many young men have Fordyce spots on the penis or on the scrotum. They are harmless.

They are tiny bumps, usually about one to two millimetres in diameter. They are generally white, but may be reddish. They do not hurt.

They occur when small amounts of sebaceous (that is, oily) material becomes trapped in the skin. Some young adults, both male and female, develop them around their lips. Girls may find them on their labia.

You can discover more about Fordyce spots by Googling them. You will see that they do no harm at all. The best thing is to ignore them, especially because they tend to fade as the years go by.

On the 'Net, some firms advertise very expensive creams which are supposed to get rid of Fordyce spots. But I am very doubtful they work.

I am female and 17 and still have not seen my menses. What should I do? Also, I now have a boyfriend. If we have sex, could I get pregnant?

Yes, you possibly could, so I urge you not to do it.

By the age of 17, a young woman should have established regular periods. You haven't, and this strongly suggests that something is wrong. Possibilities include a hormone imbalance or severe anaemia (weakness of the blood).

So you need to see a doctor right away. He or she will examine you, including an internal check. I am sure he or she will organise blood tests to find out what your hormone levels are and what the blood count is. The chances are that he or she will be able to put things right for you.

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