My problem is that whenever I climax, there is no discharge. My sex life is very good but I get frustrated at times. My husband keeps telling me that I am 'very dry'.

I asked a doctor about it and he told me that "the vaginal sac has dried up". I do not understand this.

What is the vaginal sac and why is there no discharge after all those excited feelings?

A I feel there has been a little misunderstanding between you and the doc here. There is no such thing as the 'vaginal sac'.

However, I suppose one could call the vagina itself a 'sac', since it is shaped like a little 'bag', just a few inches long. Anyway, it is clear that your husband believes your vagina is dry and it sounds like you yourself feel that you are not producing enough lubricant.

This happens to a lot of ladies who are in their 40s and 50s, though it is rare in the mid-30s. It may be that you have suffered a drop in female hormone levels, even though menopause for you is still probably quite a few years away.

If you can afford it, it would be worth taking a blood test to check your levels of female hormone.

Even if you do not have a blood test, you should certainly start using a simple vaginal lubricant, which you can buy from a pharmacy. Put plenty inside the vagina a few minutes before intercourse. Put some on your man as well, just before he enters.

What if this does not work? In that case, you should ask a doc to prescribe a vaginal hormone cream for you. If used regularly, this hormonal cream will replenish the lining of your vagina and make it more moist. Please note that you should not keep on using it regularly for years, unless a doc says it is OK to do so. That is because it can have unwanted effects.

There is one other aspect of your email that concerns me. You say that whenever you climax, there is no discharge.

I am not sure what you mean by this but I suspect that (like a lot of folks) you think that when a woman orgasms, she should produce a squirt of fluid.

This is not true for most females. Only a small minority of ladies shoot out fluid when they climax.

I think that everything will be OK if you start using a simple sex lubricant. If that is not sufficient, please try a vaginal hormone cream.

Q I am a young guy. I am wondering if too many climaxes would kind of 'use up' all my sexual power.

I have heard from my friends that you only have so many orgasms in your body and that if you waste them while you are young you will not be able to have sex when you are in your 30s.

A Young men often ask variations on this question. There is quite a widespread myth that you can somehow run out of orgasms, like a car runs out of gas.

I assure you, this tale is simply untrue. Neither males nor females have a fixed total of orgasms in their body. So you really need not fret about running out of them.

Q I am a 22-year-old and my boyfriend sometimes wants to have sex with me while I still have my menses.

Could this do any serious harm to me, or to him?

A No, it cannot do any harm to either of you. However, as I expect you are aware, having intercourse before the menses have finished is real messy business. A lot of couples do not like it.

There are ways of getting round this problem. A family planning clinic could advise you on that. In particular, they could fit you with a contraceptive diaphragm. This fits inside the vagina and it holds back the menstrual flow for a little while.

Kindly bear in mind that it is sometimes possible to get pregnant while you are still menstruating. Therefore, I hope that you are using a good method of contraception.

Q I think I am in love with a girl who is a few years younger than I am. I am 24.

To be frank, Doc, I have no experience with girls apart from one-night stands.

I have never had a real girlfriend.

In the last few weeks, I have been sending her messages, saying I want her to be mine for life. So far, she has not agreed to go out with me.

In fact, she keeps sending me text messages saying her mother is very ill and that she has to get that problem sorted out before she can think about having a boyfriend.

Don't you think that is very selfish of her, Doc?

A No, I don't. This poor young woman clearly has a lot to think about at the moment because of her sick mother.

I am afraid that I feel it is you who is being 'selfish'. You don't seem to have realised that, to this young girl, her mother's illness is a real important matter.

Clearly, the fact that at age 24 you have never had a girlfriend means that you have little experience of the opposite sex or of interpersonal relationships.

You would benefit from some sessions with a youth counsellor. In the meantime, why not express some interest in the health of this girl's mother? You could also send her some flowers!

Q I think that there is blood in my sperm, Doc. Is this serious?

A It suggests that you may have an infection in the area of the testicle. Please see a doc this week for a good check-up.

Q I am a 20-year-old woman who is still a virgin. There are very few boys where I live.

For the last year my sexual feelings have been so strong that I have been masturbating with a bottle.

I am terrified that this may have done me harm, healthwise.

A Well, it is unlikely it has done you any harm. However, it is not a good idea to stimulate yourself with bottles, in case the contents leak out.

If you feel that you need to continue self-pleasure, I think you would be best to buy yourself a purpose-built vibrator.

Q I have sex with many girls. Is there any danger that this could give me an infection?

A Of course, there is. Surely you know the Jamaican proverb, 'If yuh lie wid dawg, yuh rise wid flea'.

Your present lifestyle is a hazard to health.

Email questions about your health to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.