DREADED BY SOME, loved by others — there’s no getting away from the fact that Valentine’s Day is almost upon us.

For couples — particularly if you’re not going through a great patch — it can sometimes be a minefield.

Flowers and a fancy meal are all very well — but there’s not much point booking a table-for-two in a Michelin-starred restaurant if you’re spending the evening snarling at each other over your butternut squash tagine.

So…

Feeling stuck in a rut? Worried about a big issue in your relationship? Want to go and see Fifty Shades of Grey, but not sure how to broach the subject with your partner?

Psychosexual therapist Nuala Deering dropped by the newsroom this afternoon to answer questions sent from readers (and from ourselves) on everything from intimacy and confidence-building in the bedroom to sex toys and the ‘Fifty Shades’ effect.

We started with some of the general stuff — the common themes in the emails we were sent by readers. Like — what’s the most common reason Irish couples seek out the help of a sex therapist?

Here’s what Nuala told us:

You can watch the full video below.

We particularly like Nuala’s answer to our question on the sort of sex-tips-for-girls you might encounter in a glossy women’s mag — you know, the ones that advise the woman ‘hold his penis in one hand and lightly slap it with the other — oh, and don’t be too gentle’.

I’d imagine that you should ask the guy if feels comfortable with that… You know, when you were talking about it I thought ‘ouch’. Absolutely in a relationship when couples are together they can experiment with different types of sexual acts — but you’d want to know who you’re actually with… I wouldn’t advise that on a first date to be honest with you.

To contact Nuala check out mindwise.ie. She also works with relationshipsireland.com

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