A month after that, I started on birth-control pills called Microgynon.

After a year, I stopped taking the Pill because I wanted to get pregnant again. Soon after, I stopped taking them, I started to get spots of blood on my underwear. Sometimes, I would just bleed, even though my period wasn't near due.

However, I did not get pregnant. Could that bleeding be the reason why I couldn't become pregnant?

I have now broken up with my boyfriend.

ASorry to hear that you lost the baby and that later you could not get pregnant.

I am afraid it is impossible to say why you had difficulty in conceiving. That was certainly not because of the Pill.

Also, it is almost impossible to say why you bled at that time. From your email, it seems to me that you probably don't still have these problems with spotting of blood.

What interests me is why you are asking the question now when these events took place some years ago. Do you have a new relationship? Are you considering trying for a baby again?

In any case, what I think you should do now is to go to a doc and have a good check-up, including a vaginal examination. Most important: take with you a written list of the dates of your recent menses. Good luck.

Q I am 36 and have had a curious 'sore place' on the outside of my vagina for about a year. It just won't heal up.

Doc, could this be cancer?

AThere is just a chance that it could be a cancer of the vulva. But it could be many other things. Nevertheless, any sore place that won't heal up - no matter where it occurs in the body - must be checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.

Q I am 17 and have regular periods. Should I be douching after my menses, as my mother says?

ANo. Douching - which is the washing out of the vagina - is not a good habit. It is more likely to introduce germs into the vagina than to get rid of them.

Q I am 19 and I'm not engaged in sexual intercourse. I think I have serious problems.

Sometimes, I feel something jumping in my stomach. It is rather unusual. It feels like a ball, just rolling around inside the belly. Could it be fibroids?

AFibroids are big swellings in the womb. They don't usually occur till well after the age of 30. They don't move around. The sensation of something moving inside the belly is usually due to the intestines contracting and relaxing as they process the food. These contractions become very much more noticeable if a person is nervous. Indeed, nervous people quite often have abdomens that seem to be in constant motion, and which rumble a lot.

I think it unlikely that you have anything seriously wrong with you. But you should let a doc examine your stomach, just to make sure that all is well.

Q I am a 21-year-old man and I am sure that I have a lump in or near to my testicle.

I went to see a doctor, but after he had examined me, he said there was no lump. I am convinced he is wrong. What can I do?

A You must remember that the doc has perhaps examined hundreds of testicles, while you have presumably only examined your own. The physician is likely to be the one who is right. To ease your fretting, why don't you get an opinion from another doctor? If there is any doubt, an ultrasound could settle the matter.

Email questions about your medical problems to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.