The Sheena Metal Experience
Dr. Tiger was the featured guest on the first hour of The Sheena Metal Experience on LA Talk Radio on January 12, 2011.
The show is captured here in case you weren’t able to listen to it live.
Dr. Tiger was the featured guest on the first hour of The Sheena Metal Experience on LA Talk Radio on January 12, 2011.
The show is captured here in case you weren’t able to listen to it live.
While Americans are outraged at the thought of female genital mutilation of young girls in Africa, practices just as shocking and unwelcome have been taking place in the US and have remained behind closed doors for years. RT’s Anastasia Churkina reports.
Jose Urizar says:
I just watched the special on National Geographic about Transgender people… thank you for sharing so much on a subject most of us know so little…GREAT JOB !! very educational !!
God bless !!
Cheers from Vancouver, BC
Bryant writes:
Hello Dr. Devore,
I am in my mid-20s and not interested in intercourse–does that make me strange? I love foreplay, body contact and all sorts of intimacy but sexual intercourse is just not appealing to me. Yes I have had sex of course but I would much rather have foreplay than sex–I was wondering what do you make of this?
Thanks,
Bryant
Dr. Tiger Responds:
That you have a preference for the closeness of foreplay and the enjoyment of all the aspects of sex that don’t include intercourse is not a problem. You are clear that if intercourse was something you needed to do for a purpose, like getting your wife pregnant, that you could do it, its just isn’t your preference. If you had a fear of intercourse or could not engage in it, then there would be problem.
Question:
My teenage son has an epispadias. He is 15 and popular and becoming quite handsome. He is shy around girls and I wonder if his epispadias is the reason. I want to talk to him about this but can’t find the words. We are a pretty open family but I am sure you understand how sensitive this topic would be for any teen. Any suggestions?
Dr. Tiger Responds:
Anyone with a genital difference is going to have that difference first and foremost in mind when considering intimate and sexual relationships. You don’t have to guess why your son with epispadias is shy around girls. Talking about this is very emotional since shame, rejection, fear of loneliness, humiliation, and loss of privacy (the big secret his peers don’t know about) are all at risk. Anyone who approaches your son will have to be talking a lot about all these fears before he will be able or willing to validate them as his own. As a parent, you have to be sensitive to realizing who your son is closest to and would be able to open up to about all this. It may take several attempts making it clear that you (or the trusted adult) is ready to be helpful, but it will often include the adult saying all the things the teen can’t say first, since he is struggling with the words as much as you are. Telling him his story makes it easier to admit to it, and makes it clear that he isnt alone with that understanding and that set of fears. Offering that the teen might be able to talk, at least online, to an adult through HEA who has been through similar issues (somebody like me to whom he won’t have to explain all this!) may also be a great relief. Peer to peer can be very powerful, but only after a loving parent has made it clear that its safe to have those conversations.
Ed asks:
Hello Dr.Tiger
I hope you will give me a honest answer ,my question you is there anyway Men can get pregnant ?
Dr. Tiger responds:
Yes, a man can get pregnant, that is the short answer. The longer answer concerns men who happen to have uteruses, or men who have embryos implanted into their abdomen. Let me know if you could make your question a bit more specific …
Several men have been asking me about surgical choices as adults. The range of concerns is everything from curvature repair to erectile implants. I know I have a reputation for being “antisurgery,” and I don’t mind being thought of that way. However, once a surgical option is well considered and the person is fully informed, sometimes surgery is the best choice.
One of you (whom I know about) is facing a decision regarding removal of testicular tissue once those organs have stopped working very well. Many of us who were born with undescended (cryptorchid) testes will face this as we age, because the heating of the testes while they are inside the body (instead of in the relative cool of the testicular sac) causes changes in the cells of the organ. These changes can cause a testis to produce the hormone testosterone differently than a normal testis, and eventually the testis ends up not producing much, if any, testosterone. Once this happens, the organ shrinks, and it can even die inside the person. Sometimes the tissues are naturally absorbed by the body, but sometimes the tissues change and can increase the risk for testicular cancer, especially as we get close to and just over 40 years old. This is why its important for us to feel our testes monthly at least for any kind of changes in hardness, size, or especially the development of nodules or bumps on their surface. Your doctor can check your blood to see if your testes are functioning well (producing normal amounts of testosterone) or not. If they are not working well, and especially if there are changes in a testis itself, your doctor may determine that removing them is safest to avoid your having to deal with possibly deadly testicular cancer.
At that point you have some choices to face. A second opinion is always a good choice, and repeating tests to be sure about a diagnosis is just plain responsible. But if it turns out that the organs need to come out, there isn’t too much to think about, since avoiding cancer is a no-brainer. Once you have determined that you will have your testes removed, you face the choice of getting testicular implants or not. Testicular implants are plastic prostheses that take up the space in your scrotum that your testes once did. They are optional. You can go through life with plenty of good feeling in your genitals without having to live the rest of your life with a couple of plastic pieces in your body. If you decide to get implants, you can sit with your surgeon and choose ones that will fit in your skin (no, you can’t get implants that are twice the size of your old natural testes). After the implants have healed in, the sensation on the skin of the scrotum won’t be harmed, and you will still have good feeling, but getting used to these pieces being in your body does take a period of adjustment since they aren’t standard human issue.
So surgery isn’t always a bad idea; it just has to be considered carefully. I will be writing about several other of these kinds of choices in newsletters to come.
Carson54 says:
late night t.v. has become a repository for all manner of things. i’ve seen an ad for a particular male enhancement product. in it you have a young woman who openly says,and i’ll paraphrase to the best of my ability. “you better have a big one and know what to do with it,or don’t come my way. and if you try me and and i am dissaponted,i’ll tell everyone about your shortcomings.” if they could feel the pain of male sex dysfunction,would they be such cruel idiots?
Clairese Says:
Tiger – I don’t usually watch Dr. Oz but just happened to this morning and saw your presentation on intersex. I just wanted to say thank you for helping everyone out there that saw this show. I have been working with families since 1978 and have had this issue come to me twice in that time. I was delighted to know what I did for these families was correct according to what I heard. I have been anti circumcision since 1978 I don’t even like parents to pierce their children’s ears without their “choice”
Good Morning,
Dr.Tiger Thank you so much for your FAQ section, I’ve got tons of question and answer -love the way you have answerd all the question.
God Bless you
Pacy Handlovsky
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