Doctor's Advice - Running short of sperm?

Q. Doc, when I was a guy of 16 or 17, I thought of nothing but sex. I chased girls, had frequent sex with them, and also masturbated a lot. Now that I am 20, life seems to be a little different, doctor. I don't have the same crazy desire to orgasm whenever I can. I still like women a lot and I have a very nice girlfriend at the moment. But these days, I have noticed where I only have around two climaxes for the week. It used to be about seven. So I am a little worried about myself. Is my virility fading? Is it possible that I used up so much sperm when I was younger that now I have very little left, Doc?

A: Quit fretting. A lot of young men have this idea that if you 'discharge' a lot of sperm while you are in your teens, you will start to run short on them. That is just not true. The testicles are like two busy little factories. They keep on manufacturing thousands of sperm an hour, day in and day out. So it is impossible to 'run short' of those spermatozoa.

Also, what you have not realised is that it is normal for guys to become slightly less 'highly charged' about sex as they get a little older. Researchers have shown that men are at their orgasmic 'peak' in their mid-teens, but that, from then on, frequency of climax slowly declines. Thus, a young man of 16 who has around two orgasms per week will probably find that when he is 21, it will be perhaps one per week. So the diminution which you have noticed is perfectly OK. You are not losing your virility.

Q. I have only just started my menses and I am a little confused about them. Unfortunately, my mother has passed away so I have no one to explain this subject to me. What I cannot understand is that the periods have been arriving on different days of the month. I have always understood that you should get them monthly, on the same day of each month. Well, Doc, the very first one was on February 28 this year. There was nothing at all in March. And the second one came on a different day, which was April 1. And the next one was different again: May 3. After that, I did not have one till June 4. Then it was July 6. How can all these dates be different?

A: You really do need somebody to help you work out your menstrual dates. Is there any older lady, like a nurse or a teacher, who could help you?  But in fact, there is nothing at all wrong with the dates you have given me. Your periods seem to be very regular, and occurring every 32 days, which is OK.

What has happened is that, like a lot of young teenagers, you expected the menses to arrive at a rate of one per calendar month, on the same day. But there are two important facts to remember:  Not everyone has menses that are 28 days apart; yours seem to be 32 days apart;

The calendar months of the year are of different lengths, so no one can expect the period to arrive on the same day of every month. What I recommend now is that you should buy yourself a little diary, or perhaps a calendar, and go through it with an older, experienced person. She will show you how to plan ahead and work out when future menses will be.

Q. I am a guy of 19 and last month I went to Kingston on a course. While I was there, I had sex with a 'professional' lady. In fact, I lost my virginity with her. Since then, I have been vigilant in watching out for signs of sexually transmitted infection (STI). But nothing at all has happened, Doc. Do you think I have got away with it?

A: Probably. If you have had no symptoms by now, then the odds are that you did not catch an STI from that 'lady of the night'. Let us hope so. There remains a small risk that you have picked up something such as chlamydia, which is notorious for producing no symptoms in the early stages. So if you want to be absolutely sure, check with a doctor. Incidentally, it is not a good idea to go with prostitutes, since these poor women do very often have STIs.

Q. I went on the Pill last month. Since then, I have frequently seen little 'spots' of blood. Is this OK, Doc? Or is it cancer?

A: No, there is no question of cancer. You are OK. You see, in many young women it is normal to experience a little 'spotting' during the first few packs of the Pill. This slight blood loss will probably go away during the next few months. If it doesn't, then ask your doctor to switch you to another brand of Pill.

Q. Please don't disapprove of me, Doc. I am guy who is popular with girls. This month, I had sex with three different young ladies and now all of them are saying that their menses are overdue! But is it humanly possible for one guy to get three girls pregnant in the same month?

A: Yes, of course it is. One man could make 100 women pregnant in a month, if he were foolish enough to do so. You will just have to wait and see whether these three girls really have conceived. Maybe their periods will arrive. But I hope that you will regard this month's events as a warning. It is most unwise to have all this promiscuous sex. And next time you go with a girl, please use a condom.

. Please, Doctor, I have been having sex with my hubby for several weeks since we got married. He has been penetrating in and out, but I don't know whether the hymen is still there. Maybe it is, because I still do have pain when he enters me. I really want to conceive now. So is there a drug to use in order to remove the hymen?

A: No, I'm afraid there isn't. But from what you say, the odds are that your hymen has 'gone'. Even if there were a little bit of it still left, that wouldn't prevent you from getting pregnant. Please bear in mind that the hymen is not a complete barrier to the passage of sperm. There is nearly always a gap in it.  I don't know why you are getting this pain. But I feel that what you should do now is to consult a sympathetic doctor, perhaps a female one, and ask her to check you out. She can tell you whether there is anything left of your hymen. She can also, I hope, diagnose the cause of your pain. Good luck.

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