Is this true, Doc? It would be terrible if I cannot have good sex with this guy, whom I guess I really love.

Answer: I feel that your views about sex in the 'middle years' of life have been rather badly affected by what your mother told you many years ago. What she told you was not really correct.

I can remember that in those days, a lot of people believed that when a woman reached the 'change of life' - which was the term used for the menopause - her sex life would stop.

Many females thought that soon after the age of 45, a lady just ceased to enjoy intercourse. She might put up with it, for the sake of her man, but she did not get any pleasure from it herself.

Today, those ideas are known to be completely wrong! I assure you that I have seen many post-menopausal patients who are having a wonderful time in bed with their partners.

action after menopause

However, there is no doubt that a woman in your situation - who has recently passed menopause and who has not had intercourse for seven years - could well be facing certain difficulties. But I am sure I can help you to defeat them.

First, I ask you to remember that a vagina, which has not been regularly 'used' for some years, will probably have some difficulty in relaxing. You see, the walls of your vagina have not been distended or stretched since about the year 2000. In other words, your 'love passage' is simply not accustomed to having a penis inside it.

As it happens, I recently talked with a group of female Canadian doctors who are interested in this particular problem. Their advice is that a woman who has not had intercourse for a long time should start preparing herself for sex by regularly checking out her vagina with a clean, well-lubricated finger.

Their view is that at bedtime each evening, she should spend 10 minutes or so feeling all round inside the vagina, and noting how well the walls stretch, and how roomy everything is. This exercise can also help her to rediscover the pleasant erotic feelings that are caused by having something distending the vaginal walls.

Doing this for a few weeks will definitely help you to relax, and to be less nervous about resuming sex.

Finally, let us turn to the question of what your female hormone levels are doing, now that you have passed menopause. Almost certainly, these levels will have dropped in the last few years. As a result, it is probable that your vagina is not quite as moist as it used to be. That could cause some difficulties when you resume having intercourse.

Why? Because you could find sex uncomfortable. And the relative dryness of the vagina could make your guy's penis sore.

So what you need to do is to get yourself a good stock of some kind of sex lubricant. Any good pharmacy could advise you about this. Keep it by your bed, and when you resume having sex, use it liberally.

Finally, I would suggest that if possible, you get yourself a good internal check-up from a doctor before you start having intercourse with your man. If the doc feels that you need a little extra help, she can prescribe some female hormone cream for you. The idea is that you apply it regularly to the vaginal walls for a while, so as to make sure that they are fresh, moist and healthy. I wish you well.

Answer: It is really easy for a woman to catch HIV from a guy. There are now many, many straight people who have it. That is one of many reasons why it is so important to practise safe sex.

Answer: Yes, you could. Many other persons have done it, so why not you?

However, losing 100 pound is NOT easy, so if there is a dietician in your area, do please consult her. Until then, try to cut out as many FATTY things as possible from your diet.

Answer: I think you should get yourself checked out by a doctor. The doc may want to do a blood test for male hormone level.

However, the probability is that you are just one of the many guys who don't have much growth in the beard/moustache area.

There is a medication called minoxidil which can be applied to the skin to make hair grow, but I am a little doubtful whether a doc would be happy to prescribe it for you. It does have side effects, and is fairly expensive.

Answer: Yes, it's very possible. In about 40 per cent of marriages with fertility problems, it turns out that it is the guy who is sub-fertile - even though he may have a large penis, and get great erections. My suggestion: Get yourself a sperm count.

Answer: 'Sugar', that is, diabetes, does NOT give you puffy ankles. However, you really do need to see a doc, to get this puffiness investigated. Please take a urine specimen with you. Do not delay.

Q I am a female of 20 years, and I get the most disgusting acne pimples on my face, back and chest. I have tried many products, but none of them seems to work.

A. Generally, young people who have bad acne should go on daily antibiotics for around three months.

If that does not work, a doc could prescribe you a real powerful anti-acne drug called isotretinoin. However, isotretinoin can occasionally have severe side effects, including depression.

Answer: This is rather puzzling. It is possible that they are just small rolls of thread that have come out of the material of your pants.

However, I think it is more likely that you have a slight vaginal discharge, which is white in colour. In any case, you need to have your vagina examined by a doc.

Answer: No. The foreskin SHOULD roll back when the penis gets stiff. If it does not, it is too tight. That can cause hygiene problems - particularly because germs will be trapped underneath it. So almost certainly, you will need to get circumcised. That is not too painful, so do not fret!