Q. My girlfriend is being driven crazy by period pain. It ruins a large part of the month for us because it takes days for her to recover. We are both 20 years old. Would the Pill help her?A. Almost certainly. There is no question that this poor young woman should see a doctor. And it is highly probable that the doc will prescribe the Pill for her.
The fact is that in younger women, the Pill will nearly always eliminate menstrual pain completely. There is one slight exception to this. If a girl goes on a 'low-dose' Pill, that might not be strong enough to ease the pain entirely, but it will significantly lessen it. In practice, some adjustment of the dose of Pill is often necessary.
Q.As a girl, I cannot understand why boys masturbate. I find it puzzling.A. Here are the facts. When a young guy reaches puberty, a sudden rush of male hormone starts flowing through his body. During puberty, he has more testosterone than he will ever have again in his life. The level starts declining during the teens, and continues to do so during the 20s and 30s.
In many young males - though not all - the effect of this hormone is to produce an intense desire for sex. This is not their fault. It is just the way the human body is built.
Most boys cannot help thinking about sex. At the same time, their reproductive glands - that is, the testicles - are producing massive numbers of sperm.
Sexual intercourse is not readily available to many teenage boys.
For the majority of teenage males yearning for sexual release, their answer is masturbation. Even if they try not to do this, it is very difficult for them to refrain.
Indeed, if they do manage to avoid masturbating for a while, what usually happens is that the body responds by giving them what are called 'nocturnal emissions'. These are the 'wet dreams' during which the male has a semi-orgasm while fast asleep.
Incidentally, he cannot help this because it is completely outside his control. What usually occurs is that he finds himself dreaming about beautiful girls, and then discharges. In some teenagers, this rarely happens. But in males who have a very high levels of testosterone, there can be as many as four or five such emissions per week.
It is not surprising that so many boys masturbate. Research in many countries has shown that more than 90 per cent of young males do this.
It is also a fact that many females masturbate, though the figures are not comparably high. However, I will deal with that particular subject another time.
Q.I am 19-year-old man. My problem has been tormenting me for years. My penis measures only 4.5 inches when erected. I don't know if it is my excessive weight that is causing the problem. I am 5 feet, 2 inches tall. I weigh about 160lb. Also, I have the shape of a woman: I have big hips and a large bottom. Indeed, girls tell me that they envy me for my figure, and they say 'all I want is a wig'.I have been teased by young women who say they can tell that I don't have anything in my pants. Help me, please.
A. That is cruel of those young women. Now, are you absolutely sure that your penis measures only 4.5 inches when erect? Young guys often make mistakes when doing these estimates. Please check again with a tape measure.
If at age 19, your penis measures 4.5 inches when erect, you should see a doctor. Admittedly, penile size is to some extent related to HEIGHT. So as you are a short guy, you might not have an extremely long organ.
The doctor will examine you and discuss your weight with you. I don't think your weight has anything to do with the condition. However, I should point out to you that when a guy is 'carrying' too much fat that tends to make his organ LOOK shorter.
The doctor will probably suggest that you should see a urologist. He may want to check your sex-hormone levels. To be frank, there are several medical conditions which involve abnormal hormone levels, and which can give guys the feminine appearance. This can be treated. Finally, it is important to realise that - contrary to what many people imagine - it is possible to find a partner and have a good sex life. I wish you well.
Q.I am a 20-year-old woman who dislikes giving guys oral sex. Yet, so many of them seem to expect it these days! Am I abnormal?A. No, you are not abnormal. Lots of younger women do not like giving guys fellatio (which is the name for oral sex given to a man).
As you suggest, oral 'petting' is increasingly common these days. Nowadays, it gives a lot of people a lot of pleasure. But it is NOT compulsory!
Please realise that young guys will generally take what they can get away with. And they will do their best to suggest to you that every girl has oral sex with them. This is not true.
In general, a good rule with sex is this. If you don't like it, don't agree to do it.
Q. I am a 19-year-old man. An older man got me drunk and had some kind of sex with me. Could this give me VD ?A. Yes, you are at risk of VD and HIV. See a doc immediately and do some tests.
Having problems with your health or relationships? Tell it to Doc. Email questions to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com or fax to 922-6223.
