DR MIRIAM: MY GIRL'S AN ANIMAL IN BED.

Byline: MIRIAM STOPPARD

DEAR MIRIAM,

WHEN my partner climaxes she becomes really ferocious. She bangs her fists on my chest and ribs and sometimes she screams. She scratches and claws at me and it can hurt so much I lose interest in making love. I'm often covered in scars and bruises.

She apparently has no idea she's doing it. If I say anything afterwards, she's always very embarrassed and apologises.

I love her and it's great she's so turned on, but I would love her even more if she'd stop attacking me during her orgasm.

I CAN hear a lot of male readers saying "chance would be a fine thing". I get many letters from men who complain about unresponsive partners, so, in a way, you're fortunate.

The fact your girlfriend can't remember a thing means she's transported to another place. That's quite a compliment to any man.

If asked, she'd probably say you were a fantastic lover, so bask in that reflected glory for a while.

Some women are so overwhelmed by sexual climax they go into a kind of trance and revert to a very basic animal state. I think that's where your girlfriend is - what you describe sounds very animal-like.

By the way, we're not the only species on the planet that becomes wild with sexual pleasure - many animals do too.