Q I am a 21-year-old woman who doesn't know much about sex. On the advice of a friend who is a midwife, I checked inside my vagina one day and, to my horror, found a soft lump at the far end. Is this some kind of cancer?

Should I see a doctor before it is too late?

A I have often had this query from young women. They sometimes find a softish lump at the upper end of the vagina, several inches inside. They get scared, thinking it is something abnormal.

In fact, nearly always what they are feeling is the cervix, which is the tip of the womb. It dips down into the vagina. If you feel it with your fingertips, it is like touching the end of someone's nose.

You have nothing to fret about. Talk this over with your midwife friend but I am sure she'll tell you the same thing.

Q As a female, I am having a bit of concern. I can't seem to locate my urethral opening. I am a student, doing nursing, and I will soon be asked to carry out catheterisation of female patients. Therefore, I thought that I would try to locate my own urinary orifice to have an understanding of the location.

However, I can't find it. Is it supposed to be just under the clitoris? Or should it be down in the vaginal opening? Is it visible? Or does it appear as a flap that opens during urination?

I know this may seem like a weird question but I just want some clarity.

A I don't think this is a weird question at all. A lot of women are not too clear about precisely where they urinate from. The place is difficult to find.

Only the other day I was talking with a young American doctor who had recently had great trouble trying to get a urinary catheter into a female patient's urethra. He had never done that before and had been trying to push the catheter into the clitoris. Apparently, this was very painful for the poor woman.

In your case, I am sure the nursing school will teach you how and where to insert the catheter but I will gladly explain now.

Your urinary opening is located around three centimetres (which is just over an inch) below the clitoris. It is quite tiny, and is not easily visible because it is closed most of the time. The urethra opens up at the moment one starts to urinate. At that time its diameter is slightly less than that of a drinking straw.

I always advise women who want to know more about their intimate anatomy to inspect themselves with a hand-held mirror. In your case, the obvious way to demonstrate where the urethral opening is situated would be to pass a little urine while you are looking in the mirror. You will immediately see where it is coming from.

You obviously have an enquiring mind and I wish you every success in your nursing career.

Q I am a male who is suffering from eczema in my scalp, mainly at the front. I have been to two dermatologists and was prescribed Nizoral shampoo and a cream, which have not been of great help.

Doc, whenever I wash my hair and forehead, flakes of skin fall off. Within two days, they reappear. When I scratch the itchy area, the flakes come off in my nails.

Is there any suggestion you can give me, as it worries me at times?

A Sorry to hear about this. I am little puzzled as to your precise diagnosis, because eczema is not usually treated with Nizoral. You see, Nizoral (also known as ketoconazole) is mainly a treatment for fungal infections.

Are you sure you have heard the diagnosis correctly? Eczema is a common skin condition, sometimes caused from an allergy. It can occur on the scalp, but more often it affects other areas of the body, like the hands and elbows.

If you really have got eczema, the usual treatment would be an emollient, which is a skin moisturiser. Antibiotics may be needed if the eczema flares.

Also, a mild steroid, such as hydrocortisone cream, is often used. However, you must take care not to get the steroid stuff on your face.

Other causes of itchy, flaking skin on the top of the head include psoriasis and seborrhoeic dermatitis, both of which are pretty common.

Really, I think you should see a doc again and get a precise diagnosis of what is wrong. I wish you well.

Q I have met a girl who says she loves me and wants to perform oral sex on me. I have no experience with this and wonder if it could do me any harm?

A You do not need to fret. The only danger would occur if the young lady had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in her mouth or throat, such as herpes or gonorrhoea.

Also, people should not give oral sex when they have a cold or a cough, or any other infection in the mouth, nose or throat area.

Q I am a little annoyed with my boyfriend. He says he loves me, and I certainly love him.

But I have several times found him looking at pictures of naked girls in magazines and I think that sometimes he takes a sneak peek at them on the Internet.

Does this mean he's not satisfied with the sex I give him?

A No, I don't think it means that. Now, I know it is difficult for you, as a female, to understand, but a lot of younger guys do think it is perfectly reasonable to love a woman, but also to enjoy looking at naked girls in porn magazines. In their view, this is not being unfaithful, since they are only looking at something they find attractive.

I cannot say that your young man is medically abnormal but I do think he should be more considerate of your feelings and avoid flaunting his interest in photos of unclad ladies.

Q To settle an argument with my girlfriend, how much sex fluid should a guy produce?

I am sure that I am not producing enough, so maybe I should get some medical treatment. I have heard that a man should make around 50ml.

She says that I should forget these ideas because I am producing more than enough.

A I do not know where you got this notion that guys should produce 50ml. The average is about 5ml, which is just a teaspoonful.

Email questions for Doc about sexual and other aspects of your health to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.