The all-important question.   The bain of many lives-Am I big enough? Can I successfully satisfy my partner? Are you embarrassed? What do women really think? TRUTHFULLY? Are they bothered? What makes the perfect shag?

Today we set out to find these answers.   We asked two women to tell their views, stories, pet hates and much, much more……

Louisa Hamilton, 27, lives in Notting Hill and is a successful Accountant and is single. Her passion is wine and men (in that order mates!-) and has had over thirty partners.

'Sex is an extremely important part of my life- I find my job very stressful- the hours are very long-sex for me is a great release of tension and stress.   I don't have time for a relationship. At work I am in a high position of power, therefore I find it a great turn on to be taken charge of a man who is really confident about themselves and their body. Unfortunately many men don't posses this kind of confidence or the right size package.

Penis size is actually fairly important to me, which I suppose is quite sad.   Recently I slept with a man called Tom* who was lovely, good looking etc etc but had the smallest penis I've ever seen-I laughed when I saw it-I just couldn't help myself. When it was all over I ended going into the bathroom and satisfying myself-not the ideal situation. However, I have had some successes with more average men, to a degree 'it is what you do with it'. On one occasion I met a man at a business conference-later that night the orgasm was incredibly intense.

I suppose it makes me sound quite shallow, but in my mind there is no point in having crap sex- I can quite happily satisfy myself if need be.

In my experience men who are larger do make better lovers.  They possess a higher level of confidence-, which alone is much more of a turn on.  A partner who is confident within themselves and their body is more likely to know what he wants and be able to satisfy me. 

Length is not the most important factor for me, girth is.  I'll never forget Rob* who had at least a 8 inch penis, but it was the thinnest, weakest looking thing I'd ever seen-this was reflected in the short performance.  A good large girth usually means a stronger, more flexible penis.   This is reflected in the length and control a man displays during sex leading to greater satisfaction. Up to a point it is what you do with it- but if you do it with a large penis the results for me are greater and leave a lasting impression.'

Helen Tatton*, 31, also lives in Notting Hill.  She is a successful Barrister and lives with her boyfriend of 7 years.  She talks about how their relationship has been affected by sex…..

'Paul* and me have been together for what seems like ever.  We're very happy together- I don't think we will get married- the idea just doesn't appeal to us-we're happy as we are.  Not everything has all ways been so smooth though- it took along time for our sex life to be up to standard!

When we first got together it became apparent fairly quickly that I had a much greater sex drive than Paul*- sometimes he simply wasn't interested.  This began to affect the rest of our relationship- I began to doubt myself, his love and our trust.  Paul* simply wasn't interested and when he was lacked something. We both decided that something must be done- or our relationship would suffer further. We talked at great length about what the problem was- Paul* felt he wasn't confident enough or big enough.  I agreed he wasn't confident enough- but he was big enough-at 6.5 inches he was certainly ample. 

Paul* decided to take matters into his own hands (does she realise what's she's just said!-Ed) he declared that we couldn't have sex for a 4 week period.  In this time he began doing exercises to strengthen his penis-which in turn would give him more confidence. 

At first, I do admit I had my doubts-it sounded almost sleazy and dodgy. But, my relationship was on the line here- I was willing to try anything to prevent losing the man that I loved. After the 4-week period, we resumed sexual activity.  The change in Paul* was amazing- his penis was definantly thicker and stronger looking. This change was reflected in his confidence level and his performance- we took the plunge and have never looked back.

Our sex life is now fantastic- I still don't know what exercises Paul* does- I don't want to- all I know is that they have changed our relationship.  I never though that sex could have such a bearing on your life and relationships- I'm just glad we got it sorted before it was too late.' 

So their you go boys-two, real life women's opinions on size…