Doctor's Advice:What is the rhythm method?

Doc, I am a teenage girl (18), and I would like to try that rhythm method of sex. But what exactly is it? My friends tell me various things. Some say that it means avoiding sex during the menses. Others say that it means that you should only have sex when you are halfway between the periods. My mother says it is the reverse of that! She believes that half-way between the menses is the most dangerous time. My boyfriend does not know, but he is convinced that he cannot possibly get me pregnant because everything has been OK so far.

A: Young people get very muddled about the rhythm method, or rhythm and blues as it is sometimes known. What your friends have told you is completely wrong. And your boyfriend's attitude is very short-sighted. If you listen to him, he is likely to get you pregnant soon. So pay him no mind.

However, what your mother has told you is approximately right. As she says, the greatest danger of conception is around halfway between the start of one period and the start of the next.

Before I explain fully, let me first say that the rhythm method is not very reliable, but it is better than nothing!

So let us begin by assuming that a young woman has a regular 28-day cycle. If you don't have a regular cycle, then please do not even think about the rhythm method because you will not be able to make it work.

OK, so the day on which the young lady's period arrives is termed day one. Generally, this girl can get away with having sex on any date between day one and day seven.

But of course, part of the time between day one and day seven is occupied by menstrual bleeding.

Now, from day eight, the risk of conception rises rapidly. The most dangerous time is usually between day 10 and day 15.

But I would recommend total abstention from sex between day eight and day 17 (inclusive).

After day 18, this young lady with a regular cycle is able to have sex without too much risk. This gives her around 10 low-risk days before her next menses arrive.

But if your periods are not 28 days apart (like, if they are 26 or 30 days apart), then you should ask a doctor or nurse to make the calculations for you. In fact, the rhythm method will work much better if you have a health professional helping you to sort out your dates.

Doctors who favour the rhythm method know how to make it more reliable by using special temperature charts. They can also teach you how to find your danger time by recording the nature of your vaginal secretions at various times of the month. Also, they can show you how to use an ovulation kit to determine your most fertile time.

However, I must say that I have seen many young couples who accidentally started a baby while trying to use the rhythm method. So I strongly advise younger women to use a more reliable method such as the Pill or the condom.

Doc, I am a guy of 19, and I have not been too well recently. I am fretting about the fact that five years ago, when I was 14, another young guy and I indulged in mutual masturbation. I regret it now. But is there any chance that it could have given me 'the clap' or some other kind of sexually transmitted infection (STI), Doc?

A: No, there is no chance that this episode could have given you gonorrhoea or any other kind of STI.

But as you are not feeling too well, you should contact a doctor to arrange a check-up.

After a vigorous sex session with my fiancé last month, I was terrified to find that my clitoris was real badly swollen and tender. I know I should have gone to a doctor, but I was scared to. A couple of days ago, the swelling sort of 'broke', and a little blood came out. Since then the pain and tenderness have gone, Doctor. But am I all right? And could I have sex with my fiancé again?

A: What you have had is a condition called clitoral haematoma. This is a swelling caused from blood collecting inside the clitoris. It can happen when a woman has a very intense and prolonged sex session.

Fortunately, most cases cure themselves, often when a little blood is released, thus reducing the pressure inside the organ. Sounds like that is what has happened to you.

I would prefer it if you asked a doctor to have a look at your genitals just to make sure that everything is back to normal. But you should soon be able to resume sex with your fiancé. Take everything gently to begin with, and use a sex lubricant in order to reduce friction.

I am 19. Do you think that at my age the Pill would be too dangerous to use?

A: Not at all. It is older ladies who are at a greater risk from Pill side effects such as thrombosis (clotting).

Really, the Pill is quite safe for most young women unless they have risk factors such as smoking or a family tendency to thrombosis.

I am a guy of 21, and I just don't seem to have been too virile in bed recently, Doc. Could I get some male hormones, maybe as tablets? And would they help me to have a more vigorous sex life again?

A: It would be crazy to give a young man male hormones unless he had had a blood test which showed that his male hormone level was low.

And that would be a most unusual state of affairs. A low hormone level in a young guy would only occur if his testicles had been affected by something serious like a bad attack of mumps or a severe blow to the scrotum.

As you feel that your sex life is not going too well, I would recommend that you have a complete check-up from a doctor. Take with you a urine specimen so that you can be tested for diabetes.

I am a virgin, but last week, I let a boy slip his finger a couple of inches into my vagina. In fact, he brought me to orgasm, Doc. Now I have a slight discharge, which stains my pants. Could he have given me some kind of STI?

A: The serious sexually transmitted diseases are not usually acquired by being 'petted' in this way. However, it does sound quite likely that the boy managed to introduce some germs into your vagina. Maybe his hands were not too clean.

The odds are that this is just a minor infection. I suggest that you simply bathe yourself with warm, salty water for a week. But if the discharge has not cleared up at the end of that time, you should consult a doctor.

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