Q: Hi, Doc. I'm a 25-year-old female. Last month, I had unprotected sex on a Thursday, and took Postinor-2 on the Saturday.
Due to being afraid that I could get pregnant, I took a second pack of Postinor-2 on the Sunday. After that I felt slight cramps in the lower part of my stomach.
Will my action cause my period to be delayed further?
By the way, I also took a 'Morning After Pill' last December, and my menses came the next morning. But that was my last period. However, I am not pregnant.
A: Well, I hope you are right about that! In general, when a sexually-active young woman doesn't have a period for some months, the most important thing is to do a pregnancy test. If today your menses still haven't arrived, then you should get one done right away.
I would like to explain to you a little more about Postinor-2 - because it has become so important in many young people's lives. I hope this advice will be of help to you.
Postinor-2 (which is a pack of two tablets) is often described by doctors and nurses as 'the emergency contraceptive'. The public usually call it 'the Morning-After Pill' - though that is misleading, because you don't have to take it on 'the morning after.' In reality, it can be taken up to 72 hours after sex.
It contains a synthetic hormone of the type found in some brands of contraceptive Pill. It is not intended as a 'regular' method of contraception. It doesn't work in all cases. Indeed, it is thought to prevent only about 85 per cent of possible pregnancies.
The 'success rate' is higher (95 per cent) if you take it within 24 hours of sex. But if you leave it till the third day after having sex, it will only prevent about 58 per cent of pregnancies.
Women should read the instructions on the package leaflet before using it. There are a few medical conditions which make it inadvisable to use Postinor-2.In particular, you should not take it if:
- You are bleeding vaginally;
- You might be pregnant;
- You have breast cancer.
Very important, there are a few medicines and herbal products which can interfere with the working of Postinor-2. Your local pharmacy can advise you about that.
What about 'side effects?' These are usually mild. Commonest ones are nausea, vomiting and tiredness. But some women get diarrhoea or belly ache - which is what you experienced.
Other possible effects are listed in the package 'insert.'
You really should not Take Postinor-2 twice in the same month. I know that you did that, but I guess you will probably be OK.
Unfortunately, when a girl uses Postinor-2, it isn't really possible to predict when her menses will arrive. But if they don't 'turn up' within three weeks, it is essential to see a doctor.
Q: Unlike the guy who wrote to you last week, my problem is that my male organ is too dark. It is quite a lot darker than the rest of me.
Doc, will girls dislike this? And what cream could I put on my penis to make it lighter?
A: I do not think that girls will be remotely interested in the shade of your penis.
In a large number of men, the male organ is decidedly darker than the skin of the belly or chest. There is absolutely nothing you can do about that. Please do not put any 'skin-lightening' creams on your penis. They might damage it.
I repeat what I said to the young man who wrote in last week. If you really are unhappy with the shade of your organ, then buy yourself some packs of brightly-coloured condoms. For instance, on the Internet you can get nice red, blue or green ones.
Q: I am 21, and I have always thought of myself as a sexy woman. But my new boyfriend does not agree.
He says that when I orgasm, I should produce a jet of fluid. I don't. So he says there must be something wrong with me. Help!
A: What he is saying is foolishness. He is talking about the phenomenon of 'female ejaculation,' in which a jet of liquid emerges from somewhere near the urinary opening at the moment of orgasm.
Quite a few younger men really believe that girls should do this whenever they climax. In reality, only a small minority of women experience that ejaculation thing.
So please pay him no mind.
Q: Sir, I am a male student. I have recently had sex with my new girlfriend on two occasions. But she did not bleed.
Also, she had claimed to me that she had never had sex with anyone before. In addition, she stated that she had never used any type of sex toy, or put her finger inside.
So what is the reason behind why she did not bleed when we had sex?
Additionally, please tell me how I can check that she is virgin. I want to know that she did not have sex with anyone before me.
A: I feel you are fretting unnecessarily about this. What you do not realise is that many young women do not bleed when they first have sex. So it is not all surprising that she didn't shed any blood when the two of you had intercourse.
You ask me how you 'can check personally that she is virgin.' Well, that is now quite impossible - since your own efforts have ensured that she is no longer a virgin!
Before you had sex with her, it would have been possible for a skilled doctor or a 'gyno' to tell if she was virgin. But an ordinary guy cannot do that. And anyway, it is too late now.
My advice to you is this, if you don't want to lose your girlfriend, stop obsessing about whether she was a virgin or not. Just try and be a nice, kind boyfriend to her.
Q: If I have a coil IUD inserted, will my fiancÈ be able to feel it during sex, Doc? He is worried about this.
A: He won't be able to feel the device during sex, except in the unfortunate event that it starts coming out.
However, he may possibly be able to feel the short length of soft 'thread' which comes down, about a quarter of an inch, into the vagina.
This tends to produce a slight 'tickling' sensation on the tip of the guy's penis. In practice, most men have no objection at all to that.
Q: Is there something wrong with my male organ, Doc? I don't seem to be able to 'last' more than two minutes before I climax.
A: No, there is nothing wrong with your penis. Sounds like you have mild 'premature ejaculation' (PE). This actually originates in the brain because the guy is too excited (or too nervous) to control himself.
To begin with, just try to think about other things (like sport) whenever you are having sex, and feel that a climax is near. I shall return to the subject of PE at a later date in this column.