Dear Dr. Schoenfeld:
The other day a girlfriend of mine asked me to see a movie called “Daughters of Lesbo.” Something about this girl disturbs me.
First of all, the boys call her “Big Daddy Linda” and have said some very bad things about her. Although she is a bit domineering and aggressive she always seemed quite friendly with us all. My boyfriend says she’s a “Butch and a Dyke.” Could you please give me a definition for these names?
ANSWER: Your boyfriend apparently believes that “Big Daddy Linda” is a lesbian and more specifically one who is masculine in her dress or demeanor. But most homosexuals, especially female, can’t be identified by outward appearances.
Dear Dr. Hip Pocrates:
I had intercourse for the first time last night (I’m 17 years old). I have heard that it’s supposed to be painful the first time, but it didn’t hurt and I didn’t bleed.
What I am wondering about is whether there are any signs that would show I’m pregnant (morning sickness, etc.)?
Could you please answer this soon?
I’m very frightened.
ANSWER: The first sign of pregnancy is usually a missed menstrual period. Other early signs are a feeling of fullness and enlargement of the breasts, darkening of the nipples and nausea and vomiting, especially in the morning.
Laboratory tests for pregnancy can now be done in a matter of minutes. A sample of urine or blood is taken ten to fourteen days after the missed period.
Many girls experience no pain or bleeding when they first have intercourse. But an unwanted pregnancy can cause you needless suffering. You’d better see your family physician, a gynecologist or the nearest Planned Parenthood Clinic soon to learn about contraceptive measures.
Dear Dr. Hip Pocrates:
I am 15 years old and am a girl. I have been masturbating (just recently finding out the name of it) for three years. Is this normal?
I don’t think my friends do it—that’s why I’m worried. The reason I think my friends don’t do it is because they seem more…well, immature than me. They like Walt Disney movies and won’t kiss their boyfriends. They are happier than I am.
Sometimes I go for a couple of months without doing it but then all of a sudden I am doing it once a day for a week. I think it happens mostly when I am lonely or depressed. Is there any way of getting over this?
P.S. Thank you for reading this; for taking the time to read it. Even if you don’t answer, it’s a relief for me to tell someone.
Dear Dr. Hip Pocrates:
Although I have a normal and usually most successful sex life with my lover, when I am separated from him for more than a week, as occasionally happens, I find I have to resort to masturbation to keep my body quiet. If I do not do this, I find myself getting very tense and nervous.
Masturbation relieves this, but it never gives me anything like the pleasure that I find in real love-making, even on those occasions when I cannot achieve orgasm and my chief pleasure is pleasing my lover and satisfying him.
I would like to know whether there is any physiological basis for this, or whether in your opinion, it is all in my head.
ANSWER: Masturbation is a normal means of sexual release. In Human Sexual Response, Masters and Johnson report that, physiologically, an “orgasm is an orgasm,” however it is achieved. But most people find greater satisfaction when sex is shared with another person.
“I don’t care what Masters & Johnson found in their research, it’s up here that counts,” my secretary wisely pointed out, tapping her head.