Let me explain. I am a 25 year-old man, and for the last two years, I have been discreetly having sex with a married woman, my boss' wife. He is abroad a lot.

She is about 25 years older than I am. I'm not too sure about her age, but she is still extremely attractive, with a lovely, soft body. She is also much more interesting than most women my own age.

So, for quite a while, we have been having sex maybe three or four times for the week. I have been real happy with this arrangement. She told me there was no danger of pregnancy, because she was no longer able to have children.

Well Doc, in the last six months I have noticed something odd about my body. The area around my nipples has become plump. At first, I ignored it, but then a friend of mine said he thought I was developing breasts.

When I looked into the mirror, I could see that what he said was true. I do now have small 'man-breasts' - though no one would notice them while I have my clothes on.

Additionally, I have been having some low feelings recently. Sometimes I am worried that my voice is a little higher than it was. Also, I am not shaving as much as I used to, because I don't seem to have as much beard growth.

Fortunately, my sex life with the older woman is still going just fine. But one day last week, she looked somewhat critically at my naked body and said, "You almost look as though you're growing breasts! I hope it's not my hormone cream that's doing it."

I thought she was joking. But then I remembered that in her bathroom, there was a big tube of some kind of female hormone cream. I asked her about it, and she looked a little embarrassed and told me she had been using it for a year or so "to keep her young".

What is going on, Doc? Could I be changing sex? And if so, does it have something to do with the hormone cream?

A. This is quite an alarming story. To begin with, I thought maybe you were imagining your symptoms.

You see, many men start getting little 'breasts' when they put on too much weight. Quite often, they get the wrong idea about this, and imagine they are changing sex. They think their voices are getting higher-pitched, and that they are losing their 'nature'.

However, in your case, I feel that things may be different. It has been well known for many years that when women use vaginal hormone cream, some of it can be absorbed by their male partners through the skin of the penis.

Your partner is using this hormone cream. She is clearly 50 or more, and is almost certainly past menopause. Therefore, her levels of female hormone would have fallen.

Such a decrease in hormone levels can have various effects. Quite often, it causes a certain amount of dryness in the vaginal area. In order to counteract this, many women use a special cream which contains female hormones. They apply it to the vagina regularly and that keeps them healthy and lubricated. It also makes intercourse a lot easier.

Now, I am sure this woman is doing the right thing healthwise in applying the vaginal cream. Whether she is doing the right thing by taking one of her husband's young employees as her lover is a very different matter!

In any case, there is a high chance that you have absorbed some of this hormone cream during lovemaking and that the hormones in it are making your breasts grow. There have been many descriptions of such cases in medical journals, so you would not be the first man to whom this has happened.

What you should do now is to consult a doctor who can do a blood test, in order to check your hormone levels. In the meantime, I don't think you should go on exposing yourself to these female hormones!

So, if you are determined to continue with this risky-sounding affair, you should start wearing a condom every time. This is a recognised method of preventing absorption of the female hormones.

If you do as I say, you will certainly not start 'singing soprano'. And these 'man-boobs' should gently melt away over the next couple of months. I imagine that your low feelings and your problems with the lack of a beard will also disappear.

A. No way! Any woman who has to use 'double' sanitary protection is losing far too much blood. Therefore, she is at risk of anaemia. Please see a doctor for an assessment of your menstrual flow, plus treatment.

A. Most likely you have a little fungus infection of the skin of the penis, possibly contracted from your partner.

I advise you to buy a tube of anti-fungal cream from a pharmacy, and apply it three times a day for 10 days. If that does not cure the problem, then both of you should talk to a doctor together.

A. Since he has been diagnosed early, the odds are very good that he will, indeed, survive.

Bowel cancer is common in older persons. So anyone aged 50-plus who has problems 'going out' or has noticed rectal bleeding should see a doctor immediately.

A. No, he will have no idea at all.

A. 'The clap' is actually gonorrhoea. The crucial thing is whether that infection was tho-roughly treated and cured. If it were, you have nothing to worry about.

To be on the safe side, I think you should see an experienced doctor for a check-up and tests. I hope your marriage will be a great success.