Doctor's Advice: Sex on the fifth day ... was it safe

I am an 18-year-old student. A week ago, I went to a party in Mona where I met a guy who told me he was studying female reproduction and physiology. I mentioned to him that I was in the fifth day of my menses. He assured me that it would therefore be totally safe for him to have sex with me. So I allowed him to do so. But now I am concerned, Doc. Do you think I am pregnant?

A: It is possible to conceive on almost any date of the month, though some days are much more fertile than others. However, from a statistical point of view, I would say that it is pretty unlikely that you would conceive on 'day five' of your cycle.

So you will probably be OK this time, and your menses should arrive. But I do urge you to be more cautious - and more cynical - in the future! Guys are notorious for telling young women all sorts of tall tales to get them into bed.

Condom and oral sex

Doc, I'm a guy of 19 and I know that there is a small risk to health from having oral sex. So is it possible for me to wear a condom while a girl gives me oral stimulation?

A: Yes, some people do this. It does give the woman considerable protection against throat infections such as chlamydia. Also, it keeps the guy from catching any germs which might be in the woman's mouth.

However, it is not all that easy to do. I believe that in some countries, such as Holland, the call-girls have got it to a fine art. However, there is an appreciable risk that the woman's teeth may break the condom. So take care.

Unequal breast

My right breast is appreciably smaller than my left one. When I was 16, a doctor told me that they would grow to the same size, but they haven't. So is there any exercise that would make the right one get bigger?

A: Not really. It is possible to use exercises to make the muscle behind the bosom get a little bigger, and sometimes that can make the breast itself look very slightly larger. Indeed, there used to be a famous muscle-exercising device called the Mark Eden Bust Developer, which was bought by millions of women around the world. But it ceased production in 1981 after the US authorities took legal action against the manufacturers for making exaggerated claims.

However, if you want to try building up the muscle behind your right breast, you could do so by going to a gym and working on a machine called the Pec Deck. I must warn you that any improvement will be very slight.

If there really is a very big difference between the size of your breasts, then the only way of putting matters right would be through plastic surgery. I suggest that you consult a doctor and have him look at your bosom to see whether you need that type of surgical intervention. Good luck!

Shares device

I am a girl of 17. Please don't laugh at me, Doctor. A friend of mine lent me some kind of sex aid. So I used it on myself several times, and I have to say that it gave me intense sensations. But now I have started fretting about something. Presumably, before she gave it to me, my friend had employed this device herself. So is there an chance that if she had an infection, the thing could have given me some type of sexually transmitted infection (STI)?

A: I presume that this sex aid was some variety of vibrating device. Technically, it is possible for vibrators to transmit sex infections, but that is not very common. You see, most germs cannot live for very long on firm plastic or metal surfaces.

Indeed, the only case I can remember in which someone got an STI from another individual's sex aid was a rather bizarre incident in which a young woman took a vibratory 'dildo' out of her vagina, and, most unwisely handed it to her female roommate to use it there and then.

Frankly, I think it most unlikely that the sex aid which you borrowed could have given you an STI. Nevertheless, I do not think it is a good idea for people to share sexual devices in this manner.

What Pill is best?

I am a female 20-year-old Gleaner reader, living in America. And I have decided to lose my virginity next month, so I plan to go on the Pill. Doctor, I know that it can cause clotting in young women, and I have heard that the risk of this varies with different types of Pill. So which brand should I ask the doctor to give me?

A: You are quite right in saying that the Pill can cause serious clotting (thrombosis). But in fact, that is pretty rare in young women. It is much commoner in older folks.

There are now well over 20 different brands of the Pill available. Recent research has shown that some of the newer ones, which have been heavily promoted to young women worldwide, do actually carry a higher risk of clotting.

Therefore, the one thing you should say to your doctor is that you do not want her to give you any of the brands that are linked to an increased danger of thrombosis.

Effects of masturbation?

Good day. I'm a 21-year-old male who is suffering from a frightening and embarrassing problem. Since my early teens, I have masturbated - up to five times per day. I have stopped now. However, I now have lower back pain. I also have the problem of premature ejaculation, and I am unable to maintain an erection. I need to know what medicine, if any, I can take to fix these problems.

A: Can I try and impress upon you that your past history of masturbation has nothing whatever to do with your present difficulties? Contrary to what you may have heard, masturbation does not cause any health problems.

Now, you have three things wrong with you: backache, premature ejaculation, and poor erections. I regret that you cannot just take medicine to put everything right.

As it relates to your backache, people who complain of this nearly always have something structural wrong with their backs. It may be temporary, and in a young guy it is often not too serious. But in any case, you should now go to a doctor, and ask him to check out your spine for you.

Turning to your other problems, namely 'PE' and poor erections: I presume that you mean that you are now having sex with someone. I am sorry to hear that you have encountered difficulties; however, in young men. erection problems are nearly always due to nervousness. Premature ejaculation is also often linked to anxiety - though not always.

So you should talk to the doctor about these two difficulties. He may well be willing to give you some medication that would 'slow you down' and delay your orgasm. I wish you well!

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