I've heard so many horror stories of women who wait until their mid-thirties or later to have children, then find out that they are infertile. I'm 25 years old now and nowhere near getting married or having babies, yet I don't want this to happen to me when I'm ready. What can I do now to protect my fertility and make sure I am able to conceive when the time is right? It's causing me a lot of anxiety!!

This is a very informative site. Maybe your male colleagues can help with this one. I once heard a guy say that "a man has to position himself." I have noticed guys adjusting and have always wondered why. I have also found that I am turned on by this. Have other women reported feeling this way?

1) I have seen multiple advertisements for egg donation in my school's newspaper. I could sell my eggs for $25,000 or more! That's a year of tuition! There's got to be a catch. When I do some research to find out the procedure and the risks, I only seem to find oocyte donation "businesses" — not the most straight forward sources on the subject. Alice, I trust you! Can you tell me... what have I got to lose?

2) I see lots of ads in the paper here at my school about egg donors wanted. I think that I would like to donate an egg, but I can't find any information on the net about donating — only about receiving a donation. Can you tell me what the process is like, how long it takes, and whether there are side effects or permanent long-term effects? Or point me towards some other resource.

I've been on birth control pills for eight years and I'm thinking about trying a few months off them. They were prescribed when I was pretty young because of very irregular periods. I also was involved in a monogamous relationship for a number of years, so they were convenient. Now I have no steady partner, and am really curious to see how I feel without taking these pills. Would it be ok to go off them at the end of my pill pack or should I consult someone at health services first? If I go off for a few months and my periods are as horrendous as they were when I was younger, would it be safe to start up again on my own (I usually just see someone once per year for pill checks)?

If a woman doesn't come or have an orgasm, can her ovaries hurt just like a man's testicles can hurt if he doesn't come?

Why does it take millions of ejaculated sperm to fertilize one egg?

I am a twenty-one-year-old virgin who has just recently started seeing a girl very seriously. I am frustrated at how my body reacts to the slightest physical stimulus. Holding hands, talking about physical affection, even thinking about kissing gives me an erection. I am not thinking about sex, and we are not going to have sex until we are married, but I can't believe how frequent these erections are. I know it's common for guys my age to have erections, but just being with a girl I care about gives me one, and it's not easy to hide, and I don't want her to think the wrong thing. I used to masturbate and view pornography a lot but I finally stopped because I didn't agree with it. I stopped about the same time I met her. Do you think that my past is causing my body to want something I'm not going to give it?

1) It seems that I can't maintain an erection for more than a couple of minutes during intercourse. In fact, sometimes it doesn't seem to want to get up and play at all. The girlfriend is really starting to take this personally, but I know it's not her fault. Help! Are there any vitamins, diets, etc. that may help?

2) To put it very simply, I am having trouble having erections for a while now. I used to be able to. I can't have them at all, during intimate encounters or during masturbation. I get a little "hard" but cannot get completely hard. Could you please help me? Thank you!!

My period is late this month, and I'm afraid that I may be pregnant. The weird thing is, though, my partner and I never actually had actual sexual intercourse (in other words, there was no penetration). I'm wondering if the wet environment could still be a risk. I'm hoping that it's due to stress and fatigue with finals coming on that causing this delay. How long should I wait before getting tested?

I have a question concerning veins on the penis. For a long time now, I have had a vein on my penis which is quite visible. The other day I noticed another vein on my penis that was becoming more noticeable. I know that there are no physical problems with having visible veins on my penis, but I don't like it. What has caused these veins to become more visible and how do I cover them up? I j/o frequently. I know this is a cosmetic problem, but it's an important problem to me. Thanks for your time.

I have been on the Nuvaring for three months now, and I am keeping it in for the four weeks then changing it because my doctor said there's no need for me to have a period. About two weeks ago I started having dark brown discharge and it has gotten more heavy, but only when I run or stand up real quick. Is this normal or should I call my doctor and find out what is going on?

My roommate and I were wondering whether or not there was a difference in sleeping with a man with an uncircumcised penis or one that has been cut? My roommate's current boyfriend is uncircumcised and she has heard horror stories about sleeping with men that have uncircumcised penises.

I have (with much distress) that sometimes when I am having intercourse with my girlfriend, at the point of climax, my right testicle will "ride up" out of the scrotum into my body. I can feel it wedged up there and I usually can push it out back into the scrotum after withdrawal. Is this something I should be worried about?!!! I was born with normally descended testicles, and I haven't been kicked in the groin or anything and it only happens sometimes, not every time. It doesn't hurt when it rides up, but it is uncomfortable and feels strange. It is only the right one, never the left that does this.

If you were a woman, who wanted to be a man, could you get a penis? And once you got your penis, could you masturbate, ejaculate, and experience other male sexual behaviors?

And vice versa. If you were a man, who wanted to be a woman, could you then get your penis removed, and then masturbate?

I've read some other questions on here about men hitting the cervix with their penis and that the penis doesn't go through the cervix. I'm larger than average and my girlfriend is telling me that I'm actually going through the cervix. When we first started having sex it was very painful for her because she thought that I was penetrating the cervix. Now she's past it being painful but still thinks that I'm actually penetrating the cervix. My question is, is that possible?

I seem to feel more strongly sexed (hornier) than usual during my menses and so do some of my girlfriends. Is there a clinical explanation for that or are we just weird?

I have had a notebook (laptop) computer for three years now. I never use it on a desk, but rather surf the web with it sitting on my lap. Since I am only 18 years old, I worry that someday I may try to make a baby and fail. Could an electronic device such as this sitting above my testicles every day lead to infertility?

My boyfriend says that he doesn't enjoy oral sex with me because of the taste. He says it's too strong. I have had 2 pap smears in the last year and my doctors say everything is fine and tell me not to douche. I need to do something. This has caused a lot of problems in our sexual relationship. Can my diet or anything else help this problem?

Is it possible for nonpregnant women or women who have never been pregnant to lactate? If so, what would be the best way to stimulate in a safe, healthy way? I'd love to please my new husband with this. Are there any draw backs?

My friend had to have both of his testicles removed because of Testicular Torsion... will he be able to get an erection now?? What are the testicles for, anyway??

This is sort of embarrassing, and you touched on it in a previous message, but... how do you decrease penis size? I'm serious. Is there some sort of surgery? I ask because my girlfriend says mine is too large, and it sometimes hurts her. Please answer.

I was wondering about the depth of the vagina. I've read statistics that say that the average vagina is only 3 to 4 inches deep. This seems way too small to me, since the average penis is considerably longer than that. Wouldn't that mean that most penises would crash into the cervix repeatedly during intercourse? Since this obviously doesn't happen, my question is this: does the vagina actually elongate during intercourse to accommodate the entire length of the average penis?

I would like to know what you've heard about pierced clitori. I've been told that the clitoris is one of the fastest parts of the body to heal after it is pierced, and that piercing it heightens sexual pleasure. Is there any truth to these rumors?

I have recently been advised that my on-going migraines might be caused and/or increased by the use of contraceptives containing estrogen. To that end, I have been recommended to switch to a progesterone-only form of birth control. Which, in turn, basically means I get to choose between Implanon and Mirena (I really can't stand needles, so Depo is out for me!). I am only 23 years old, and have not yet started a family. I do want to have children someday, and am very enticed by the idea of Mirena lasting to the point when I might want to begin trying to get pregnant. However, all of the advertisements for Mirena state that ideal candidates have already had children.

Is Mirena still safe for use in women who have not yet given birth? If so are there any additional side effects to consider in this instance?

I am not sure who the father of my son is. Is it possible to tell the father of the baby simply by knowing blood types and Rh factors of myself and the potential fathers?

My wife and I had our first child last July. Until about 3 months ago, she was unable to reach orgasm at all. Of late, she has very small one's, but they don't seem to be getting much better. Prior to having the baby, she had strong, very quick (3-5 minutes) orgasms 90% of the time. I know the stress of being at work rather than home with the baby could play a part in this. Is this common and is there a way to mitigate the problem? 

If one has a long-term partner and neither AIDS nor any other STD is a concern, is there any medical reason not to perform cunnilingus on a menstruating woman? My significant other is particularly horny during her period and would love cunnilingus at this time. I am willing but curious.

I am a lesbian who does not enjoy penetration and does not include this in my sexual repertoire. I am concerned, however, about Pap smears. I find the speculum very uncomfortable, even painful — my last Pap was agonizing and embarrassing. If I didn't know how important this annual exam was, I would just stop going.

I am seeking ways to make this experience less traumatic, so my question to you is, is there a way I can obtain a speculum of my own so I can practice at home? Any other advice on the subject of less painful Paps would be appreciated!

Thanks!

I'm a 19-year-old female. I had my right ovary removed (oophorectomy) three years ago due to a very large ovarian cyst. I was assured by my gynecologist that I'm still capable of bearing children but wasn't informed thoroughly of all of the pros and cons in regards to this type of operation (e.g., can the estrogen loss have any negative physical affects?). If you could shed some light on this matter, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I'm wondering if washing immediately and throughly after intercourse helps prevent pregnancy.

My boyfriend recently told me that he rarely has orgasms when he ejaculates. I was aware that men could have orgasms without ejaculation, but I didn't think it worked the other way around. Are men more complicated than I thought?

Okay, a question has been asked amongst my friends, and no one seems to know the answer: What is the physiological purpose of the hymen?

I'm a thirty-something man who has a happy but often stressful life. I'd like to get a massage every now and then, but I'm worried about what might happen when I'm virtually naked and being rubbed all over by another person. In other words, I'm worried about getting an erection during a massage. It seems like there would be no way to hide it.

How do I deal with this? How do masseuses deal with this when it happens? Do they expect their male clients to get aroused? Would they think I'm perverted when I'm lying on the table and standing at attention?

Just wondering if Vaseline is an okay form of lubrication... I notice that the container says, "for external use only," but I am wondering if this includes vaginas! Thanks. You're hilarious.

I have been having this problem where my period will not stop. My period is usually not regular — I won't have one for about two months and then I will have one for about a-month-and-half, but this time it is hasn't stopped for three months now. What do you think I should do? I would really love to know what is wrong.