Dr Margaret answers e-mailers' embarrassing problems in this biweekly problem page.

A few quick answers

A few quick answers to a number of questions about:

Dear Dr Margaret
All over my penis under the foreskin, every so often, I get little bubbles. When they are popped it is just a clear fluid inside, leaving a little hole/sore/mark in its place. Sometimes this develops into a sore and sometimes It doesn’t. Can you give me any idea what this might be?

This sounds very much like a herpes simplex infection. Herpes simplex is a virus that you catch by skin-to-skin contact (such as during sex) with someone who has it. The virus hides in nerve cells, away from the skin. Occasionally, it travels down the nerves to the skin where it causes blisters, which are usually in the same place. To be certain this is what you have, see your doctor or go to a genitourinary medicine clinic when you next have the blisters.

Dear Dr Margaret
A friend was messing around with an old boyfriend, and she told me she saw some fluid discharge from his penis. I told her she needs to set up an appointment with her physician, but she says it could have been pre-ejaculatory fluid. Is this possible?

It is true that most of the sperms come out during ejaculation, but there can be plenty in the fluid that seeps out before. This is why you should put a condom on as soon as the penis is firm enough to wear it.

Dear Dr Margaret
I have several moles on my body. I have previously used a ’superfade’ cream unsuccessfully in an attempt to bleach them, and was wondering if there are any items available which may assist in mole bleaching.

Moles are absolutely normal. Everyone has them, so I wonder why you are so concerned about yours? I would never use anything on moles that might irritate them, because moles can turn cancerous (malignant melanoma). Although I haven’t seen any scientific evidence that trying to bleach a mole could make it become cancerous, I personally wouldn’t take the risk. Of course, anyone who thinks a mole is changing shape or colour or starting to bleed should see their doctor straight away - it could be a melanoma.

Dear Dr Margaret
How can a condom be removed that has slipped off and is stuck inside a woman’s uterus, and what could the condom do to a woman’s health?

You don’t need to worry about this, because a condom that slips off would not get into the uterus. The vagina is the tube that the penis goes into when you have sex. The uterus is at the top of the vagina. It is about the size and shape of a small pear. It is placed as if the narrow end of the pear - the cervix - is projecting slightly into the top of the vagina. The cervix has a small hole or slit through which menstrual blood can pass out each month, but a condom could not get through this hole. If a condom has become ‘lost’, it might be at the top of the vagina, tucked in beside the cervix. By putting her finger into the vagina and feeling around the cervix, the woman would be able to find it and pull it out. Or she could go to a genitourinary medicine clinic and ask the doctor there to have a look.

Dear Dr Margaret
Is there any natural way (exercises etc) of increasing the size of my penis? As a student I can’t afford an operation and anyway I wouldn’t want to have one.

Have you read our main section on penis size? As far as I know, no ‘natural remedies’ or exercises or stretching devices will increase penis size. (You are not the only person with this worry - this is one of the commonest problems we are asked about.)

Dear Dr Margaret
What are the signs of testicular cancer? I have had a growth inside one of my ball sacks for a while now. It feels like a tiny pea just next to my testicle inside. It’s not painful. Please tell me it’s not cancer.

From your description, it’s unlikely to be cancer. It sounds like a harmless cyst. All the same, it is very important that you and anyone else with a lump on the testicle, or next to the testicle, has it properly checked by a doctor, just in case it is a cancer. Nowadays, cancer of the testicle is almost always curable if it is caught early

Any more questions?
Do you have any more questions about dentistry? If so, send an email to info@healthpress.co.uk. I am sorry that I cannot send you an individual reply, but I will try to answer some of them on this page.

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