Doctor's Advice - I have a lump in my breast

• I have a lump in my breast

Q. I am 21 years of age, and for about a week, now, I have been having some pains at the sides of my two breasts, near to my armpits. I went to the doctor, who has referred me for an ultrasound scan. He said that my breasts feel lumpy. No one in my family has cancer, but do you think this is cancerous, Doc? Because I am scared to get the test done.

A: Do not be scared. It is almost impossible that you have cancer. Breast cancer is very rare in women as young as you, and the peak age is actually after 50.

Also, cancer of the breast does not generally cause pain. The sort of pain which you have had is experienced by many younger females, particularly before a period. Typically, it is in the 'tail' of the breast, which is where you are getting it. My bet is that you have some mild inflammation in that part of your bosom.

Clearly, your doctor had a good reason for wanting you to have a scan, so I think you should go ahead with it. I am slightly doubtful if it really is an 'ultrasound', but in any case, it should give some useful information. So please quit fretting. You are not going to die.

• Blocked pipe?

Q. I am a guy of 18, and I am very worried by the fact that after I have had sex, I cannot urinate properly for a couple of hours. Doc, it is as if there is some 'blockage' in my piping, so the urine goes everywhere. Help!

A: What you describe is perfectly normal. After a guy reaches orgasm, there is often a good deal of jelly-like seminal fluid in his urinary pipe. That creates a bit of a block and tends to make the urine spray in awkward directions. But everything returns to normal within an hour or two. So you have no need to be concerned.

• Irregular menses

Q. Doc, sometimes my menses are 28 days apart, but other times it is 31 days, or even 24. Is this bad?

A: No, it is slightly irregular, but basically OK. I imagine that sometimes it's a little irritating or inconvenient for you if the menses arrive unexpectedly early. But your health is not at risk. If you would prefer to have more regular menses, then see a doctor about taking a hormone preparation such as the Pill.

• Random sex and dribble

Q. Last week, I had too much to drink at a party, and late in the evening, my friends encouraged me to have sex with a girl I had never seen before (or since). Now I have developed a sort of 'dribble' of some yellowy-white stuff from my organ, and also, it hurts me to urinate. What is going on, Doc?

A: You clearly have either gonorrhoea or chlamydia. You must see a doctor right away for tests and treatment. In the meantime, no sex, please!  Your story is a warning against the dangers of deciding to have sex while under the influence of alcohol.

• Concealing my past

Q. I had a baby when I was 16, but it died. Now I am 23 and engaged to be married. My fiancé and I have not had sex yet, and in fact, he has never seen my body, not even in a bikini. I am a rather shy person. Do you think I will be able to conceal from him the fact that I once had a child?

A: I am sorry to hear that your baby passed away. Now, although I am not here to discuss ethics and morals, I do ask you to think carefully about whether it would be fair to conceal your past from your fiancé.

To be practical, if you have any skin marks on the belly, then he might well detect that you previously had a pregnancy. Also, an astute guy might possibly observe signs of childbirth round the vagina. So it might be very unwise to try to practise this deception.

• Swollen breasts

Q. I am a guy 20 years old. The big trouble in my life at the moment is that my breasts have swollen up, Doc! This means that I cannot go to the beach or even wear a T-shirt. Other people would see these little breasts and make fun of me. In fact, that has happened a couple of times. What is wrong with me? I went to a doctor, and he said I have gynaecomastia. Does this mean I am turning into a woman?

A: No, it doesn't. And the word gynaecomastia just means enlargement of the breasts, so it is not a diagnosis. It is said that around a third of men get breast swelling at some time in their lives. Fortunately, it often goes away of its own accord.

Often, the problem is just due to excessive weight and is caused from the body depositing fat behind the nipples. So if you are overweight, you should slim down right away.  However, in a small proportion of guys, gynaecomastia occurs because their bodies are producing a little too much of the female hormone called oestrogen.

You may be surprised to learn that all males produce some oestrogen from their testicles, but it ought to be a very small amount. There is also a slight chance that you might have a genetic condition called Klinefelter's syndxrome, but that is pretty unlikely.

Summing up, you should shed any excess poundage. If those little breasts haven't disappeared within six months, you should see a doctor who can check out your testicles and arrange for some blood tests to see if your hormones are doing anything odd.

• Am I still a virgin?

Q. I am female, age 19, and last week I had sex for the first time. At least I think I did. To be honest, Doctor, I am not at all sure if the guy got in. I did not feel very much. There was no bleeding and no pain. How could I find out if I am still a virgin or not?

A: Well, if the guy's male organ touched your female organ, then legally that counts as sex, which would mean that you are no longer a virgin.

However, it may well be that he did not penetrate far enough to break your hymen. This is the virgin's veil membrane that partly closes off the vagina. But it could be that you no longer have a hymen if you had already broken through it by putting in tampons, or anything else.

If it really is very important to you to find out if your hymen is still there, you could go to a doctor and ask him or her to take a look. Yet I wonder if it is worth your while bothering. You know that this guy got a little way into you, and there is little to be gained by trying to find out any more.  If you decide to have a try at sex again, do please use adequate contraception. Also, take precautions against infection. I recommend you insist on a condom.

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