Doctors and Nurses

After the age of ten we tend to get very serious and shy about our 'private parts', especially women. If you and your partner lack the confidence to look at and touch each other's genitals, sex therapist Paula Hall says it's time for a game of doctors and nurses.

Preparation

• Make sure you're not going to be disturbed.
• Check the room is warm enough and that the lighting is comfortable.
• Have a bath, so you feel fresh and confident.

Be silly

This isn't a sexual encounter - it's show-and-tell for grown-ups. It gives you both the opportunity to ask all the questions you'd never dare ask when making love because it'd be a total passion-killer.

The doctor will see you now...

One partner should be the patient, the other the doctor.

If you're the lucky one whose turn it is to be the doctor, you can now examine to your heart's content.

With appropriate physical gentleness, have a poke and a prod and check out the territory. If you don't want to feel like a gynecologist when looking at your female partner, use a mirror. Just prop it up on a pillow between her open legs and explore the reflection.

Ask any questions you like, such as "Can you feel that?", "What's this for?" and "How far back can it go?"

When you've finished your examination, swap roles.

This is a very silly exercise. But next time you're making love, you'll be surprised how handy those bits of information can be. Knowing how the territory looks helps enormously with orientation.

Related Information:

• I'd like you to ...
• Genital touching for men
• Genital touching for woman