Dear doc

Am I too old to have penis-enlarging surgery, Doc? I am a 35-year-old and divorced.

All my life I have felt very bad about the length of my organ. When erect, it only measures five and a half inches. I suspect that this was why my first wife left me.

I read in a book that the average male organ should be six and a half inches. So I am way below normal, and I want to get something done about it.

I have seen on the Internet that surgeons in America are advertising the operation for US$10,000. I could just about raise this money. Should I go ahead, Doc?

What you read is incorrect. Until recently, many medical textbooks and journals did say that the average erect length was around 6.5 inches (16.5 cms). But this was based on flawed statistics.

Today, the most accurate measurements are from an experiment carried out in Cancún, Mexico. A doctor and a team of nurses carefully measured the erections of 300 young American college men. They found that the average is in fact only 5.88 inches - which is a lot less than we thought.

These findings indicate that most males have an erect length of 5.25 inches ( 13.3 cms) to 6.0 inches (15.24 cms).

As it relates to you, this means that your length is normal. The idea that your wife left you because of your penis size is ridiculous. Women are far less interested in penile length than you think.

So I think that it would be crazy to go to the United States and spend such a large amount of money on an operation that you do not need! Also, what the ads don't tell you is that very often these operations go wrong. They may fail to increase the length, and they can even leave the man deformed.

I was given the shot or injectable contraceptive last month. Since then, I have not seen my menses.

Is that OK, Doc?

Probably. A lot of women find that 'the jab' stops their period for a while. Mostly, they are happy about that.

But there is a small risk that you got pregnant before the shot had time to take effect. Therefore, it would be best to take a pregnancy test, just in case.

I had some trouble passing urine and my wife insisted that I go to the doctor. He told me that it could be 'prostate trouble' and ordered some tests.

Doc, I am very worried by this. If I do have prostate trouble, does that mean cancer?

No, not at all. The majority of men who develop prostate problems do not have cancer. They just have what is called 'benign enlargement', which is a non-malignant condition. See what the tests reveal.

I am a widow, and have been on my own for many years now. But I have met a wonderful, handsome, romantic Venezuelan man. He says he loves me and is pressing me to come to sleep with him.

But doc, I am worried about catching a venereal disease. Am I right in thinking that because I am over 50, I need not worry about it?

A lot of older people have this idea that it is only the young who get sexually transmitted infections. That is not correct.

In fact, it is that attitude that has been responsible for a recent rise in the number of VD cases among senior citizens in many countries.

I appreciate that you are enjoying your romance with this Venezuelan charmer. But if you do sleep with him, please insist that he uses a condom.