A. This is a good question, which will be of interest to many people - because there are so many young guys who ejaculate too soon (this is called 'premature ejaculation') during sexual intercourse. And that happens to quite a few older men too !

'Long love' condoms are said to have been invented in Germany quite a few years ago. These days, there are a number of brands of condom which are described by their makers as 'long love.'

To the best of my knowledge, all of them contain a local anaesthetic called 'benzocaine.' As you are probably aware, a local anaesthetic is a drug which is used by dentists and doctors to NUMB a part of the body for a while - for instance, during a tooth extraction or a minor surgical operation.

These local anaesthetics work by 'deadening' the nerves, so that in the area which the nerves supply, the patient feels no pain. In fact, during the period that the chemical is working, he cannot really feel any other sensation, like heat or cold or even touch.

Many years ago, it was realised that local anaesthetic creams could be used to help men who discharge too soon. Why? For the simple reason that if the cream was applied to the penis before sex, the guy would not feel such strong sensations from the friction with the vagina. Therefore - with luck - he would not 'come' so quickly.

These creams worked reasonably well for many guys, but there were some problems.

The main one was that the local anaesthetic cream worked on both the man and the woman. In other words, it didn't just numb the guy's penis; it also numbed the lady's vagina and clitoris! Result: It reduced her sexual pleasure considerably.

Eventually, somebody came up with the fairly clever idea of putting the local anaesthetic inside a condom. That way, the drug would only affect the guy - and not the woman. So that is how long-love condoms were invented.

Do they work? Well, a number of my male readers have said that they help them last longer.

However, I would point out that any condom tends to assist a guy to continue slightly longer - because the sensations he receives through the rubber are not quite so strong as they are when 'riding bareback.'

Are there any disadvantages associated with these long-love condoms? Yes, there are.

First, it is important to realise that quite a few people develop a really unpleasant skin sensitivity to local anaesthetics - and particularly to the ones which end in '-caine.' That includes benzocaine, which - as I have said above - is the drug which is used in this type of condom.

If you develop a skin sensitivity, then you will get a violent, raging itching, with swelling and soreness of the skin. This is not a very nice thing to happen to your penis the reaction will eventually go away, you will remain sensitive to these particular local anaesthetics, and will have to avoid them for life.

Second, there is a risk that the local anaesthetic will get on to the woman's delicate tissues. How? Well, for instance, it might leak out of the condom. Also, if the guy takes the condom off before intercourse has finished, the 'local' would be transferred from his penis to her vagina. This will probably diminish her enjoyment - and it might possibly give her one of the above-mentioned sensitivity reactions.

Now, you ask if long-love condoms can harm a guy's health long term. The answer is 'No' - apart from the small risk of a sensitivity reaction.

However, I must say that when a guy has 'hair-trigger trouble' (that is, comes too soon), there is a lot to be said for re-training him to last longer by using the American Masters-Johnson method. I have mentioned it in this column previously, and it is described in several sites on the Internet.

One final point about climaxing too soon, as I have said before on this page, doctors do sometimes treat this hair-trigger trouble with certain brands of antidepressant pills. It has been brought to my notice that these pills are now being sold on the streets in Kingston and elsewhere as 'last-longer tablets.'

I really do not recommend that men should buy that type of medication on the sidewalk! Any guy who wants to try tablets to delay his ejaculation would be wiser to get them by seeing a doc.

I also had an IUD put in, back in 2002. It has been checked by a doc a few times, but not for the last two years. Is it possible that maybe that is the source of my infection?

My symptom is a yellowish-coloured discharge, and I have read somewhere that a female's discharge should be clear. Mine has a foul odour. At times, when I pass urine it burns, and sometimes I itch.

I thought that leaving everything alone would make it go away, but it seems as if it has gotten worse.

A. Sorry to hear about this. Your various symptoms do suggest that you have probably caught a vaginal infection. Let me go through them one by one:

A yellowish-coloured discharge does indeed usually suggest the presence of germs. You are right in saying that female secretions should be clear - or sometimes whitish. It depends a lot on the time of the month.

A 'foul odour' also suggests an infection. A healthy woman's secretions should have a 'tangy' smell, the biological function of which is to attract the male. But a nasty odour is usually a sign that germs are present.

Burning while passing urine also suggests infection - either in the outer part of the vagina, or in the urinary pipe.

Itching can also be a sign of infection.

So what has caused this infection? The odds are that at some time in the past, you picked it up during sexual intercourse. I cannot say whether this occurred during your recent 'encounter' with your boyfriend. The fact that he wore a condom gave you some protection, but it is possible for germs to 'get through,' even though a condom is used.

As for your IUD, this needs checking out as a matter of urgency. As you had this coil put in five years ago, it is possible that it is reaching its 'sell-by' date, and may need changing.

I am sure you can see the conclusion I am heading towards. You MUST now go to a doc or a clinic and have the various 'swab tests' for the half-dozen common vaginal infections.

Once the doc has found out which germ is causing the problem, she can give you the right pills. They will cure you. Until then, please don't have sex.

A. Neither Irish potatoes nor sweet potatoes are particularly fattening, provided you do not eat a lot of them - and provided you do not cook them with any kind of oil or fat.

If you are slimming, the best thing to do is to have your potatoes boiled - since of course boiling does not involve fat.

A. I really do not think so. I have never seen breast cancer start with itching. Usually, the main symptom is a lump.

Your email indicates that you have had the breasts checked out by a doc. But I think you should go to another one, and ask her to see if there is some skin or nipple inflammation that is causing this problem.