What would cause my penis to burn every time I start to urinate, then desist? My urine is crystal clear.
You have an inflammation of the urethra, the tube leading from the bladder and through the penis to the outside.
There are a number of causes for this condition, including bladder infections and gonorrhoea, but by far the most common cause in men is a venereal disease called non-specific urethritis (NSU). This may be associated with a slight white discharge from the penis, but many men have no other symptoms than burning when passing urine. Unfortunately, women may not develop symptoms until the disease has been present for months or years, by which time they may have develop a widespread infection in their pelvis that can lead to infertility, abnormal pregnancies, and damage to the cervix and womb.
Diagnosis is sometimes difficult, because a negative test does not mean that the disease is not present, only that the test has failed to detect it. All men with this problem, and all their sexual partners, will need to be treated with a special course of antibiotics. Fortunately this is successful in curing the vast majority of these cases.

My GP has diagnosed my vaginal irritation as a ‘chlamidya’ infection after taking some tests. She has given me some tablets to take, but I would like to know more about this problem.
Chlamydial vaginal infections are one of the most common forms of sexually transmitted disease in both sexes.
Chlamydiae are a group of organisms that are not bacteria, but closely resemble bacteria. They act as parasites inside human cells, cause the destruction of the cell where they multiply, and then move on to infect more cells.
They cause irritation of the vagina in women, and urethra (urine tube from bladder to outside) in both men and women, so that passing urine may be uncomfortable. In rare severe cases it can sptead to the nearby lymph nodes in the groin to cause lymphogranuloma venereum.
The infection is difficult to diagnose, but swabs from affected area are sometimes positive. Blood tests can also be used to make the diagnosis with internal infections.
Once suspected, it can be successfully treated with appropriate antibiotics.

A friend of mine contracted genital warts and had intercourse with another female. Please tell me all about these horrible things. How serious are they?
The human papilloma virus (HPV) is responsible for genital wart infections, and it is transmitted from one person to another only by sexual intercourse, or other intimate contact.
The obvious result of infection with this virus, is the growth of warts, sometimes of quite a large size, on the penis in men and in the genital area of women. They may appear as flat, pale areas on the skin, or the dark coloured, irregularly shaped lumps more commonly associated with warts. Both men and women can be carriers of the virus from one sexual partner to another, without being aware that they are infected. Only when the warts become large and obvious does the victim seek attention. If a woman is infected by HPV, she may develop genital warts not only around the outside of her genitals, but internally where they are difficult to detect. There may in fact, be no warts present at all, but once the virus enters the vagina, it can attack the cervix, which is the opening into the womb (uterus).
HPV infections of the cervix may cause cancer of the cervix. It does not happen immediately, and may take some years to develop, but a significant proportion of women with this infection will develop cancer. Cancer of the cervix has few early signs, and is often not detected until it is well advanced and difficult to treat. Every woman should have regular Pap smear tests every year or two while she is sexually active. These tests can detect this type of cancer, genital wart infections and other gynaecological problems at an early stage. When detected early, the cancer can be treated effectively, and completely cured.
The genital warts themselves, in both men and women, can be treated by destroying the warts with acid paints or ointments, freezing the warts with liquid nitrogen, by burning them away with an electric needle or lasers, or by using a special cream (Aldara).