Doctor's advice - Should he get a 'sleeve'?
Published:Saturday | January 30, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Q. Doctor, I am a young guy at university and I feel that my sex life is not what it should be because I simply do not have enough 'bulk'. I am engaged to be married, but I feel that my fiancée is probably not satisfied with the girth of my penis. She has not said anything, but I have a feeling that she would be happier if I had a greater diameter. Is it true that one can somehow use condoms to give oneself greater bulk?
Q. Doctor, last night I had sex with my partner on the eighth day of my menses. Is there any danger that this could make me pregnant?
Q. I am a 21-year-old guy and still a virgin. I am worried by the fact that when I go out with a girl and get sexually excited, I feel pain in my testicles. Is this serious? Could it be cancer?
Q. I am a 25-year-old woman. I have been told by a doc that I have a cyst in my right ovary. What exactly is a cyst? Could it kill me?
Q. While playing soccer recently, I twisted my left knee. It got painful and swollen. The swelling lasted about six weeks, but is now starting to go down. Can I safely resume playing?
Q. While my husband was away last week, I very unwisely had a sexual encounter with a young man who was working at the house next door. What are the chances I might have caught some form of sexually transmitted infection from him?
Q. My girlfriend wants to go on the Pill. Could this affect my health in any way?
Q. I have a new boyfriend, but whenever I suggest he use a condom, he hits me. Please, advise me.
A. Well, there are some guys who try to increase the apparent diameter of the male organ by putting on several condoms. Indeed, experiments have shown that if a man puts on around 10 condoms, one on top of the other, this will add about half a centimetre to his apparent diameter.
But is it really worth it? I am very doubtful! After all, the cost of buying 10 condoms every time you wanted to have sex would be considerable. Also, you probably wouldn't feel very much.
Frankly, I think that, like a lot of guys, you are fretting far too much about penile bulk. Most women are not too concerned about what a partner's size is. They are usually more interested in whether he is romantic and considerate, and whether he takes care to give them pleasure and satisfaction through skilled stimulation of the female erogenous zones, especially the clitoris.
Admittedly, there are some ladies who think it is a good idea for a partner to have a bulky penis. But there are others who are quite the reverse, since they are afraid of being hurt by an organ that is too large for them. I note that you do not seem to have talked this over with your fiancée. May I suggest that you do so? You may well find that she is perfectly happy with your organ as it is and definitely does not want any more bulk.
However, if she really does feel that she would appreciate the feel of something wider, I don't think you should try to increase your diameter by putting on 10 condoms at once.
It would make more sense to buy one of the bulk-adding sex aids which can now be easily obtained through the Internet. For instance, there is an inexpensive device called 'the sleeve', which is like a soft plastic covering that fits over your organ. It can give you around an extra two centimetres of width, if that is what you really want.
You can find out more by simply tapping the words 'penis sleeve' into your Net-search engine. About 900,000 results will come up!
However, don't buy one of these devices without first consulting your fiancée. She might well be repelled by the idea that her man wants to put on a sleeve before making love to her.
A. Yes, there is. Having unprotected sex eight days after the start of a period is living dangerously. I hope you are not pregnant, and that your next menstrual period arrives on time. But don't take this sort of risk again.
A. No, it is not cancer. It is just a medical fact of life that if a young man gets sexually aroused, but does not discharge, there is a high chance he will get an ache in his testicles for a couple of hours. This is simply a symptom of congestion in the testicles, and does not indicate that anything is wrong. Quit fretting.
A. Please relax. A cyst is just a fluid-filled swelling anywhere in the body. Cysts in the ovary are quite common.
The vast majority of them are pretty harmless, though a few may cause pain. Some go away over time. Others need removal by taking a small operation.
Be guided by the doc who diagnosed you as having an ovarian cyst. She will tell you whether you need surgery or whether the cyst can safely be left alone.
A. Not until you have seen a doc. Knee injuries are common among sportsmen and sportswomen. Very often, the cause is a torn cartilage. Cartilage is a little piece of 'gristle', which acts as a kind of shock absorber in the knee.
Other times, the cause is a torn ligament. A ligament is a strong band of tissue which helps to hold the knee joint together.
If you have damaged either a cartilage or a ligament, you may need an operation to put everything right. But under no circumstances should you go back to football (or any other sport) until a doc has told you it is safe to do so.
A. That depends on many factors, like which part of the island you are living in - since the incidence of STIs varies in different communities.
It also depends on how promiscuous the young man is. In other words, if he has slept with a lot of other ladies, that increases the chances that he might have had some infection.
Another important question is this: Did you use a condom? If you didn't, that greatly increases the chances that you may have caught something.
All in all, I feel your wisest course now is to have a discreet check-up from a doc, including, if possible, swab tests for STIs. I think you should try not to have sex with your husband till you are sure that you are free from infection.
A. No, it cannot affect your health at all.
A. This is appalling behaviour. Have no more contact with this violent man. You can do a lot better than him.
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