'I had unprotected sex and am worried I could have caught something.'
|
Q: I had unprotected sex with a girl I hardly knew nearly six months ago, and am worried that I could have caught something. I feel fine, but have recently noticed a very strong and disgusting smell from around my genitals, even a couple of hours after showering. What could be causing this? Chris, 19. |
our online advisors reply:
Hi and thanks for your question. We're glad you felt able to contact us about this. You may be feeling embarrassed, but doctors and other health professionals are very used to dealing with these kinds of queries, and will be able to find out what it wrong and how it can be treated.
This odour is obviously worrying you. Because you have had unprotected sex with someone it is advisable to get yourself checked out as soon as possible, just in case you have caught something. There will be a GUM (Genito-Urinary Medicine) clinic near you and they will be able to find out what is causing this odour. You can read about what to expect when you go to a GUM clinic in our feature getting tested.
You can find your nearest clinic at www.ssha.info/public/clinics/locations.asp or www.multimap.com/clients/places.cgi?client=fpa2. Or have a look in your local phone directory under 'Health Centres' or 'Clinics'.
If you have a foreskin, it could be that there is a smegma build-up underneath your foreskin. Smegma is a white, waxy liquid that is secreted underneath the foreskin and, if it is left uncleaned, this can create a white cheese-like build up that has an unpleasant smell. It's important that this is not allowed to build up because it can lead to an inflammation of the skin covering the head (glans) of the penis called Balanitis.
If you find that you do have a smegma build-up, try cleaning underneath your foreskin with warm water and unperfumed soap twice a day. If this doesn't work then you would need to visit your doctor for more advice.
If your foreskin is too tight to pull back, then it is not advisable to try and do so as you could damage it. The best thing to do would be to visit your doctor and speak to them about how to deal with this.
For more information you could visit:
www.netdoctor.co.uk/menshealth/yourequipment/index.shtml
You could also contact NHS Direct, which is a medical helpline. This doesn't replace a medical examination, but they would be able to ask you about your symptoms and advise you about what to do next. They can be reached on 0845 4647.
It's really important to practice safe sex – it can just take one sexual encounter to cause a lot of future suffering, either for you or your partner. You can learn more about the symptoms of STIs and how to treat them in our feature sexually transmitted infections. Of course, unprotected sex might also lead to pregnancy. You should talk this through with your partner – don't just imagine that girls will be taking care of this!
I hope that this has helped.
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.
