DOCTOR'S ADVICE - Am I still a virgin?

•  Am I still a virgin?

Q. Hi, Doc. Could you give me some good advice about my virginity? Actually, I am not too sure whether I am a virgin. I have occasionally let boys touch me 'down there' since I was 17. When I say touch, I mean with fingers and also on a couple of occasions with the tip of the penis. The last occasion was around six weeks ago when I allowed my boyfriend to penetrate me, but only about an inch - or maybe two. He did not discharge. So really, I have two questions, Doc:1. Am I still a virgin? (I feel that I am.)2. If I am not a virgin, should I get a Pap Smear done? I understand that it is only girls that have lost their virginity who need a Pap Smear.

A: Well, the first thing I should say to you is be very careful. You are starting to play with fire, and if you go on like this, you may find yourself pregnant - or suffering from a sex infection.

As it relates to the subject of virginity, I can answer your two questions:

1.Technically, you are no longer a virgin. You have allowed a small degree of penetration by more than one guy, and I am afraid that this penetrative activity is legally regarded as sexual intercourse.

It may well be that your hymen (or 'virgin's veil') is still intact, especially as penetration has not been very deep, but that does not alter the fact that you have had a male organ inside your vagina, and are, therefore, no longer a virgin.

2. As it regards a Pap Smear, you are right in saying that female virgins do not really need these tests. But now that you have had sex (even though it is only a little bit of sex), you may possibly have the HPV virus, which is the main cause of abnormal smears.

Therefore, I think that you should get a Pap test done fairly soon.  Frankly, there is no great urgency for this, but I think you should plan to do the test during the course of this year.

Finally, please do take care with your body. Sounds like you may have just one boyfriend now. If you decide to have further sex with him, I suggest you use condoms (male or female).

Q. I am a guy of 19, and I have been diagnosed with a wart on my hand. Doc, is this the same thing as a genital wart? And if so, how could I work out which girl I got it from?

A: Warts are mostly caused from viruses, which are generally transmitted by contact with another person. That contact could be just skin-to-skin touching or it could be sexual contact.

I doubt if the wart on your hand was caused from intimate sexual contact with a girl's genitals. Also, the incubation period of warts is so variable that there is not the faintest chance that you could ever find out who you got it from.  So please get your wart treated, and quit fretting about where it came from.

• Cancer scare
  

Q. Doctor, could I have cancer of the opening of the vagina? I am 18 and have not had much sex, but three months ago, I noticed a little 'raw' place just to the right of my labia. It is around the size of a fingernail. It does not hurt much, but itches a little. So I did a search on the Internet, and I found where it could be 'cancer or carcinoma of the vulva'. This sounds pretty serious. What do you think, Doc? Is it caused from sex? Also, I have one or two other funny little patches on my legs.

A: Please try not to fret. Cancer of the vulva is a very dangerous condition, but it occurs almost entirely in ladies who are over 45. The chances of you having it at age 18 are pretty remote.

However, any woman who has a sore or raw place on the opening of the vagina or the labia should get it checked out by a doctor. This is especially important if it has persisted for several months as yours has done.

Now, what could your problem be? I am glad to say that it does not sound like any of the common sexually transmitted infections, though there is a faint chance that it could be a most unusual one. But in view of what you say about the patches on your legs, I think it is likely that you just have some skin condition like eczema or psoriasis. This would not be linked to sex.

So clearly, what you should do now is have a doctor look at this problem on your vulva and also at the patches on your legs. I am sure he will be able to sort this out for you.

• Enlargen my penis
  

Q. Dear doctor, I want to enlarge my penis. How do I go about that, or what's the best method? I have tried a penis pump, but that hasn't made any significant difference. Please, Doc, lend me your wise advice.

A: Well, you have already spent money on a penis pump or vacuum pump and found that they don't work. And I have news for you.

None of the other so-called 'penis enlargers' that are on sale on the Internet are any use either. This morning, I typed the words 'penis enlargement' into Google and was immediately offered 1.25 million websites, all of which claimed to offer a way of making the male organ bigger. They included pills, creams, suction devices, rings, mechanical 'stretchers', and sexual exercises.

But all of this is just foolishness and a way of making certain people spend lots of money. Young men should realise that there is no way to enlarge their organ. So do not waste any more of your hard-earned cash.

There is one exception to what I have said. If a guy really does have the rare condition of 'micro-penis', in which the organ is less than three inches long when it is erect, then it is worth going to see a plastic surgeon to discuss having an operation.

But for a young man who has, say, a perfectly adequate five-inch penis, there would be no point in trying to have surgery.

• Tenderness in breasts
  

Q. Help! I am 20 and I started on the Pill just a month back. Now I have tenderness in both breasts, especially after sex. Is this cancer, Doc?

A: No, it isn't. One of the commonest side effects of the contraceptive Pill is tenderness in the breasts. This is not harmful. Usually, it goes away after about three packs. If it doesn't, then your doctor can change you to another brand. But do not stop taking your Pill!

• Re-using condoms
  

Q. Doc, my girlfriend and I don't have much money, so would it be OK if we sort of reused our condoms?

A: No! Don't do this! Young people sometimes try it and end up with leaky condoms.

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