A few days ago I noticed terrible itching in my 'pubic triangle'. It just makes me scratch and scratch all night.

Also, I thought I saw something moving down there!

Is that possible? Or am I seeing things?

A No, you are not seeing things. You have almost certainly caught 'crabs' from this charming man.

Crabs are pubic lice, which are little insects, just visible with the naked eye. They are mostly transmitted during the close 'pubis-to-pubis' contact of sexual intercourse, though sometimes they can be passed on in other ways, like from two people sharing a towel, which they both use on their intimate parts.

The little creatures live on human blood, so they bite you. And their bites are real itchy, as you have discovered!

Nothing dreadful is going to happen to you, but you must get this treated within the next couple of days. It would be possible to buy something from a pharmacist, if you tell her that you believe you have 'pubic lice'.

But I would prefer you to consult a doctor who can examine you and prescribe a suitable skin application. Generally, you have to treat the entire body twice.

The doctor can also decide whether you need any tests for other forms of sexual infection.

Do not fret, because all will be well. But please do not have sex until you have been cured. It would be unfortunate if you gave the crabs to another person.

Q I am a married man aged 32 and I am ashamed to admit that a month ago I had a 'one-night stand' with a girl in Portland. Now I have gonorrhoea, Doctor!

Must I tell my wife?

AOf course you must tell your wife, assuming you have had sex with her since you got home from Portland.

If so, you have almost certainly given 'the clap' to her, so you must now arrange for her to see a doctor for treatment. This is urgent!

QI have fallen in love with a wonderful new man. He loves me. We hope to get married soon.

But one thing is puzzling me, Doctor.

Why can't we reach an orgasm at exactly the same time?

In all the romantic and sexy stories I have read, the man and the woman who are in love seem to climax at exactly the same second! This is clearly a real beautiful thing to experience.

But we cannot do it. Either I orgasm three minutes before he does, or sometimes he climaxes five minutes before I am ready.

This is most frustrating, Doctor! Please advise me.

AIt is good that you have found a man whom you really love, and who loves you. Congratulations.

But I think you have been a little misled by the romantic literature which you have read. Although it is a real nice idea that the man and the woman should climax at the same moment, the honest truth is that that is not often the case.

I know that will be a bit of a shock to many people! But a number of surveys have shown, over the last 25 years, that in fact most couples do not manage to climax simultaneously, on the majority of occasions. Happily, some do.

Please bear in mind that the same surveys, in various countries, have demonstrated the perhaps surprising fact that the majority of women do not have their orgasm (or orgasms) during actual intercourse. Instead, they tend to have theirs through 'love play', either before or after intercourse.

Fortunately, there are many exceptions to this rule. You see, when the man is good at making his partner orgasm, he can actually ensure that she does it while he is having intercourse with her.

However, making her climax at the same time as he does, is a rather different matter. Some couples have the knack, but I assure you that the majority do not.

In particular, very few younger couples can manage to discharge at the same moment. But when a loving twosome have been together for many years, they often know each other's bodies so well that they can achieve it.

I must say that 'simultaneous orgasm' is worth trying for, because most of those who can do it report that it is a beautiful thing to feel that the two of you are reaching the height of fulfilment at exactly the same moment.

So how can it be done?

Well, the first point is to ensure that you are going to make love in a gentle, tender, romantic atmosphere, without any risk of being disturbed. Try to be as relaxed as possible.

Your man must be prepared to delay his own orgasm until you are fully ready to have yours. A lot of young guys simply cannot do this, which is one reason why simultaneous climax is commoner at middle age!

After some preliminary love play, which might go on for 10 or 20 minutes or whatever you like, your man should enter you. But he must take intercourse slowly, making sure that he does not become too excited.

Finally, when you feel that your own orgasm may be imminent, you must tell him so! It is not helpful to keep a guy 'in the dark' about these matters!

If at that point, he is not ready, then you must calm down and give him time to 'catch up'. Fortunately, experienced, mature men are often able to control their reactions, and choose their precise moment for 'coming'.

Most importantly, just before he reaches orgasm, your man must reach down and stimulate your clitoris rapidly with his finger tips, so that he makes you climax at precisely the same moment that he does.

There is an alternative, which is that you should do the final stimulation of the clitoral area. As I have mentioned in this paper in the past, that solution is not acceptable to all women, since some of them do not like the idea of self-stimulation. But as this is all part of a 'combined' procedure between the man and woman, most people have no objection to it at all.

I wish you good luck in your quest to have simultaneous climaxes with the man you love. May you have a long and happy life together.

QI was hit by a car recently, injuring my testicles. I did had a 'sperm count' check and this has now been reported as OK.

So will I be able to have children, Doctor?

AYes. Provided you can have erections and have sex, you should be fine.

QAmazingly, I have discovered my father is still having sex at age 75 with his second wife. Will this do him any harm healthwise?

ANone whatsoever, so you can relax. It is good that he is still 'young at heart'.