1) I tried looking for an answer to my question in the archives, but didn't find one. What I want to know is if it is normal that my boyfriend's semen has clumps (I don't know how else to describe it) in it? The semen has never been clumpy before, but the last time I gave him a blowjob, the semen had a chunky consistency to it. Should I be worried that this may be an STD, or is this kind of thing related to other things, and if so, what are they? Thanks.

2) I just realized a few days ago that my sperm comes out in pieces. For example, they are as thick as small boiled rice pieces... is there a concern to worry?

My girlfriends and I are debating something: Are baths bad for the vagina?

Please help! My skin is drying out like you would never believe. It is scaly and itchy at times. Could this be as a result of the weather? Are there any pointers that you could give me so that I don't feel like my face is cracking and looking like garbage? It seems to get worse after I shower. What is this? What can I do?

I just found out that a friend requires a kidney transplant. I've heard that we are all equipped with two kidneys and can live with just one. How do I find out if I can donate a kidney? What's involved in a kidney donation? Thanks!

About six months ago, I experienced pain when urinating after having intercourse. Typically, I have pain/burning the first time I urinate after sex, but then the pain tends to go away or diminish. I am a 38-year-old male. I have no pain otherwise.

I have trouble following spoken speech. It's always made school difficult for me and now it's one of the reasons why I think I'll have to quit college (I'm on leave right now). I would listen to lectures or go to instructors for extra help, but my brain just wouldn't absorb anything it heard. This put a huge burden of self-instruction on me and it made it impossible for me to participate in class discussions.

I think this tendency affects me in other ways too. For example, I don't and never have been able to sit through movies or watch TV — I never know what's going on in them. In daily interactions I manage OK with processing short exchanges of information or instructions, but I don't have "conversations" at all unless it's absolutely necessary, and when I do it's exhausting and unpleasant (I speak VERY little and have never had a friend, so it's no exaggeration to say that I don't have conversations).

Until college, I was always able to compensate for this difficulty by just studying hard and teaching myself. I got high grades and was going to a reputedly good college. Can you suggest any explanation for a problem of this sort and how to deal with it so that I might be able to graduate from college?

I was hoping you could answer a question for me about birth control pills. There is a history of breast cancer in my family (my mother). Is it true that because of this, it is unsafe for me to use birth control pills? A few friends have recently had condoms break during sex, and I am looking for a type of "backup" contraception system.