Healthy sexual organs are a prerequisite to full sexual expression. Who feels sexy when they've got thrush? Who wants to make love when they are experiencing the pain and discomfort of gonorrhoea? Genital health is important to our appreciation of sex and should be of primary concern. Because the genital organs have such sensitivity, we are equipped with a precision instrument by which we can monitor our body's health.

For example, if thrush did not cause itching and an unpleasant discharge, how would we know that we had a problem with candida? And if cystitis did not produce a burning pain on urinating how would we know that we had an infection of the bladder or kidneys? A painless discharge may well be overlooked, but it could indicate that we are allergic to a particular food, and we could reason that our body's reaction in this way is indicative of a problem on an internal level; a problem which we cannot see. We should be glad that our body is speaking to us, and then work towards finding and curing the cause of the problem, not just mitigating the symptoms; this is like ignoring the red warning light in your car, which is advising you that the oil level is dangerously low. You can either stop driving and buy a litre of engine oil, or you can continue driving and take the risk of wrecking the entire engine.

Clearing up any vaginal problems will certainly help you attain a relaxed and comfortable sex life. It is also important to be relaxed and comfortable with your method of contraception. If drugs and IUDs are abhorrent to you, the remaining choices are diaphragms and sheaths, not forgetting of course, rhythm, temperature charts, and abstinence.

Many more women would use sheaths and diaphragms if it were not for the fact that the spermicidal, covering can sometimes cause vaginal irritation and soreness. Of all the many and varied sheaths on the market, very few are free of spermicides, but there are some and your chemist will be able to give you advice. Sheaths are very often disliked by men, which then puts the responsibility for birth control with women. Many women use the diaphragm, which has other disadvantages, apart from needing to be used with spermicide; one that spontaneity is hampered as the diaphragm must be fitted in advance of intercourse, and removed after 8 hours. However, there is a new diaphragm which I have recently found out about, and which seems excellent. It is called the 'Honey Cap, and is one of the most 'natural' and unobtrusive methods of contraception. When not in use, it is placed in a pot of honey, and as honey is anti?bacterial this is the only form of protection it needs. The 'honey cap! is just rinsed in lukewarm water before insertion, and may be left in place for up to seven days at a stretch. During this time it is permissible to bathe and swim, which gives the wearer even greater freedom. The success rate of the 'honey cap is comparable to the sheath or the regular diaphragm, but it would seem to me to offer women 100 per cent more freedom and confidence, and is absolutely perfect for those women (and their partners) who are sensitive to chemical spermicides or who wish to use a more 'natural' contraception.