Doctor's Advice: Did I exchange my virginity for chlamydia?

Q I am a young lady of 17, and last week, I gave up my virginity to a boy from Harbour View. We only did it once, and I don't plan to do it again because it wasn't really all that great.

But what is making me fret is this. I have read a lot about that chlamydia 'bug' and how it can affect teenagers. I understand that it is a very serious sexual infection and that a girl may not know she has it.

So what I am asking you is this: Although I have no symptoms, is there any chance I could have picked up chlamydia from my sexual encounter with this boy?

If I have it, I know I must get it treated.

A You are correct in everything you say about chlamydia. This aggressive little germ has become rampant among young people in many countries. It is spread through sexual intercourse. Unfortunately, it can damage the sex organs, and the 'late' symptoms include pain and infertility.

However, in the early stages, most people don't know they have got it. In girls, it may produce no symptoms for many years. But all the time, the chlamydia is busy inside the body, damaging the sex organs.

Now, have you caught chlamydia from your 'one-off' encounter with that young man from Harbour View? That is certainly a possibility. But there are many factors that could affect the risk.

For instance, if he was, like you, a virgin till that night, then there is virtually no chance that he could have given you chlamydia.

Also, if he hasn't slept around very much, then the odds must be against him being a carrier of chlamydia. You see, the more partners a person has had, the more likely it is that the individual may have that germ.

Another question is this: Did you two use a condom? If so, then that greatly reduces the chances of catching this nasty little bug.

Summing up, you have had sex only once. The odds are that this experience has not given you chlamydia, but if you want to be absolutely sure, then you could go to a doctor or clinic and ask for a urine test to rule out chlamydial infection.

I wish you well!

Q Doc, my girlfriend thinks I have a third testicle because she can feel something next to my right one. Could this lump be cancer?

A Not very likely, but you really must have the lump checked out by a doctor. If necessary, he will arrange an ultrasound scan to determine exactly what is going on in your scrotum.

Q I am female, age 21, and my boyfriend is convinced that I ought to somehow squirt a jet of fluid whenever I orgasm. He says he has seen girls do this in pornographic movies.

But I have never done anything like that in my life! Am I abnormal, doctor?

A No, you are not abnormal. Like many young men, your boyfriend has been badly misled by the foolish things which go on in 'blue' movies.

What often happens in these productions is that the director gets the actress to pass urine at the moment when she is supposed to be orgasming. That makes it look as though she is having a 'female ejaculation'.

But in the real world, female ejaculation is pretty uncommon. The great majority of women do not do it when they climax. Admittedly, quite a few say that in the past, they have done it on rare occasions.

So you are perfectly normal. Pay your boyfriend no mind.

Q Doctor, I am a guy of 18 and a half, and I suppose I am pretty lucky because I have two beautiful girlfriends. They do not know about each other.

Sometimes, I get the chance to have sex with both of them in a single day. Am I right in saying that if I have a good shower in between seeing the two girls there is no danger of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI)?

A I think you are playing a rather dangerous game in running two girlfriends at once. I foresee trouble.

As for your idea that a shower will somehow protect against STIs, that is just foolishness!. A lot of guys around the world have this notion that somehow a shower will wash away all germs and keep a person safe from infection. But that is not true at all.

Has it occurred to you that one or both of these young ladies may be having sex with other guys? If so, you could wind up catching something.

My advice to you is to settle for just one girlfriend. And when you go with her, always use a condom.

Q I am 19, and three weeks ago, I started taking the Pill. Now, I have aching and tender breasts.

So I am frightened, Doc. Is this cancer?

A No, it isn't. A high proportion of young women get aching and tenderness in the bosom when they start taking the Pill. These symptoms are of no significance, and they will usually go away after you have been on the Pill for two-three months.

If they don't, then all you have to do is to ask your doctor to switch you to another brand of Pill.

Q My girlfriend says she is going to go on the mini-Pill. Would this be safe for me, Doc? Could it affect me sexually?

A If a woman takes the mini-Pill, the hormone in it will not be transferred to her partner.

So there is no way that this tablet could harm you or affect your sex life. Quit fretting!

Q Is it true that cigarettes can make a guy 'lose his nature'?

A Yes, though it usually takes quite a few years. The nicotine in cigarettes can 'close down' the tubes that supply blood to the penis. That makes it more difficult for the guy to get an erection.

Q I am pregnant - by choice. I am very glad about it, and so is my fiancé.

But Doc, is it OK for us to continue to have sex now that I am an expectant mother?

A Yes. These days, medical opinion is that it is all right for a woman who is pregnant to go on having sex, but preferably a little more gently.

I hope you have a midwife looking after you. She will give you further advice about sex.

Q I am a 20-year-old female, and I am very disturbed by the fact that I seem to have no sexual feelings for men, doctor.

On the contrary, I have passionate physical feelings for beautiful women, and I dream about going to bed with them.

Please be frank with me. Do you think I am a lesbian?

A It seems highly probable to me. You don't appear to have any 'straight' feelings at all - only lesbian ones.

My advice: try and find a sympathetic female counsellor who can help you decide how you are going to plan your life.

Good luck!

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