Q Doc, please help me because my head is spinning with worry. I am a 42-year-old businessman from Manchester, and I have been unfaithful to my wife.

Now I am wondering if I have infected her with gonorrhoea.

My situation is this. Around a week ago, I went to the Corporate Area on business. I was tired at the end of that day, so I decided to stay overnight in Kingston, and checked into a hotel.

Just before dinner, a very beautiful girl came up to me in the lobby and we started talking. I realised that she was a 'lady of the night', but she was so nice that I took her out for dinner.

Honestly, Doc, I did not mean for anything to happen. But in the end, I slept with her. The only good thing about this was that I did have a wonderful time, though I was remorseful afterwards.

Three days later, I started to feel some pain when urinating. It was like passing red-hot razors. There was also a whitish discharge on the inside-front of my pants. I have read your column in the past, and so I knew that these were the signs of gonorrhoea.

Unfortunately, I had sex with my wife on the two evenings my symptoms started. So have I infected her?

I love her very much, and would not wish to give her this shameful infection. Incidentally, we have not made love since I started getting the symptoms. Please help me.

Your story is, of course, a warning to married men who are thinking of 'playing away from home' - particularly with a prostitute. There is always a chance of getting a venereal disease.

You are right in saying that you have the symptoms of gonorrhoea ('the clap'). But another possibility is that you have urethritis (say it:, 'yew-reth-right-iss'). Both conditions need urgent treatment.

You do not say if you have consulted a doctor, but I think you should do so immediately, in order to have tests and treatment. Be of good cheer, because the treatment will cure you!

As far as your wife is concerned, I would say that there is around a 90 per cent chance that you have infected her with one or the other of the above conditions. So she too needs urgent tests and treatment!

Please note that it may well be that she has no symptoms at all. That is generally the case with ladies who acquire gonorrhoea or urethritis. So do not make the mistaken assumption that because she does not have symptoms, she must be OK. She probably isn't!

You could tell your wife everything, and then take her to the doctor with you. That would be the honest course of action - but in practice, many husbands just cannot manage to make such a confession to their spouses.

I have seen situations similar to this, where one partner has acquired a VD and the spouse needs treatment. Surprisingly, such a scenario can often be 'managed' successfully by an experienced doctor who treats them both without actually disclosing what the diagnosis is. However, that is not really a very honest approach, is it?

What is clear is you must go to the doctor now and talk everything over with him/her. You will be given treatment immediately. And your wife must also be seen by the doc within a few days, so that she can be cured.

If you have any way of contacting the prostitute in Kingston, you should let her know that she is infected. The odds are that she has no idea that her body contains these dangerous little germs.

Q I have discovered that my son is occasionally smoking ganja. Is it true that this could increase his risk of cancer?

Yes. Smoking anything - whether it's ganja, cigarettes or cigars - increases the danger of getting lung cancer.

New research published this month in a medical journal, suggests that marijuana doubles the risk of getting cancer of the testicle. Please tell your son that.

Q At what age should a woman stop having her period?

In Jamaica, most women's periods stop between the ages of 47 and 51. If they stop outside these limits, then please check with a doctor.

Q I have been told that as a woman, I should not drink more than two units of alcohol a day.

But what is a 'unit,' Doc?

You are right. Females should not regularly drink more than two units per day. A 'unit' is eight grams of alcohol. In practice, it is a little difficult to work out exactly how many units you are drinking per day. But if you read the small print on the labels of the cans or bottles, it can be calculated.

As a rough guide, I can tell you that a 440 ml can of five per cent strength beer contains 2.2 units. So really, that is slightly more than a woman should regard as her 'limit', if drinking on a regular basis.

I know that may seem very strict. But it is becoming clear that the dangers of alcohol are greater than we thought - particularly for women.

Q If a guy 'pulls out' just before he discharges, is that a fairly safe method of contraception?

Not really. A man can 'leak' sperm before he climaxes. Also, many guys do not manage to control themselves and, accidentally or deliberately, end up ejaculating inside the woman.

Q: Doc I have a concern. Whenever my lover and I have sex and we switch to 'doggy-style' position, I make the most embarrassing sounds.

Please don't laugh. It's like gas is coming out of me. Does this mean that I am too big inside, or is there something else wrong with me?

No, there is nothing wrong with you. Most couples get this phenomenon from time to time, particularly when having sex in the 'doggy' position. What is occurring is that your guy's penis is pushing air into you. There is only one way for the air to come out, which is the same way it came in. The result is a rather rude noise.

Unfortunately, there is nothing much you can do about this, apart from avoiding positions that cause it. I have known some women who try to prevent it by inserting contraceptive foam into their vagina before sex, but this has limited success.

Q Is it possible for a man to get breast cancer, Doc?

Yes, though it is very rare. However, any lump around the male nipple should be checked by a doctor.