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A recent study shows that drinking more plain water can help you avoid excess calories and control your weight.

Source: The big benefits of plain water

Q: Good Afternoon Dr. Please I Have Pain In My Breast. What Should I Do?

A: Breast pain can be experienced as a burning or stabbing pain or it could be felt as soreness or heaviness. This usually occurs in the outer portion of the breast and may extend to the underarms and sometimes, all the way down the arms. Breast pain is commonly not a sign of cancer.

Breast pain could be cyclical, in which case, it is linked to menstrual cycle or non-cyclical, in which case it is not linked to menstrual cycle.

Cyclical breast pain occurs at about the same time every month, starting about 2 to 3 days before the menstruation starts and improving after the period. The intensity of the pain varies during the period. This pain is thought to be related the effect of hormones and so women on hormone replacement therapy after menopause may experience this breast pain too.

Non-cyclical breast pain may be due to mastitis…a painful condition of the breast during breastfeeding. For more on this, please click on https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/09/12/daily-health-tips-im-a-breastfeeding-mother-who-just-developed-a-painful-lump-in-my-breast-could-it-be-cancer/

It may also be due to medications, breast abscess (collection of pus in the breast), non-cancerous breast lumps .

If you have breast pain, it’s a good idea to have your doctor check it out especially if:

• The pain is continuous over a couple of weeks
• The pain gets worse
• The pain prevents daily activities
• The pain is consistent in a particular area.

A couple of exams like clinical breast examination, mammogram, ultrasound and breast biopsy will help make a definitive diagnosis.

I hope this helps.

Have a good night, people 😀

Q: Good evening. Please, my nipples are removing water. At the same time, my menses has passed and I have slept with my fiancée for up to two months.

A: There are different issues that can cause nipple discharge. The discharge can be bloody, milky, clear etc. The colour may not tell us much as to whether the discharge is normal or abnormal.

Milky discharge from the breast is called galactorrhea and is usually the symptom of a problem. For more on this please click on the link:https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/04/18/daily-health-tips-why-do-i-have-nipple-discharge-when-im-not-pregnant/

Causes of breast discharge include:
• Pregnancy
• Breastfeeding: The release of milk may also persist for a while even when breastfeeding has been stopped.
• Stimulation of the nipples during sexual foreplay or even pressing the nipple by people who are worried about the nipple discharge or friction between fabric and nipple can lead to nipple discharge.
• Breast abscess or infection
• Hormone imbalance
• Injury to the breast
• Some medications
• Cancer of the breast

To determine cause, the doctor may do a scan, take tissue sample to examine (biopsy) etc
Treatment depends on cause. If due to pregnancy or breastfeeding, it will eventually stop. If due to stimulation, the discharge will continue as long as the stimulation is present. If due to injury, it will also stop with healing. If the discharge is due to medication, stopping the medication is sufficient to bring this to a stop.

Bloody discharge, discharge from one breast only and discharge that happens spontaneously without the breast being touched or pressed is likely to be abnormal. These should be checked out as soon as possible in the hospital.

If the discharge is present during a menstrual period and persists into the next cycle, please see your doctor too.

Have a great day, everyone 😀

Q: I delivered my baby 3 months ago. The first time hubby made love to me I bled 5-6days as if I was menstruating, This has happened many times. Please what is the cause and what should I do for this to stop?

A: Congratulations on your new baby!

Usually, after having a baby, the level of the hormone estrogen is quite low. This lasts for about 4 to 6 weeks after having baby. If you’re breastfeeding your baby, however, this low estrogen level would persist for as long as you nurse our baby. The absence of estrogen contributes to vaginal dryness. The dryness, of course, makes sexual intercourse that much more painful at this time when your body is struggling to get back into the groove and your mind is struggling with trying not to remember the diapers you have to change and laundry to wash! Not exactly the most romantic turn of events, aye? 😀

The main consequence of vaginal dryness is the fact that it affects sex life such that these women experience significant pain and sometimes, bleeding. Other problems that vaginal dryness could cause include soreness, itching and burning around the vaginal area, recurrent urinary tract infections and frequency of urinating etc. However, you should also get this bleeding checked out by your doctor to rule out any other cause of bleeding there.

As you start to breastfeed your baby less frequently, the dryness should ease off. If the vaginal dryness and subsequent bleeding is due to rushed foreplay, there should be a conscious effort to slow down allow enough time for foreplay and sometimes, discussion with the partner may be helpful. Avoid heavily perfumed products like sanitary towels, tissues etc which may lead to irritation of the vagina and subsequent dryness etc.

For a related post, please click on this https://chatwithdrketch.com/2016/02/20/daily-health-tipssexual-intercourse-after-baby/

Have a great night, y’all 😀

Q: Good evening ma’am! Please, I had two kids through CS and the second child will be 3yrs in July and I used withdrawal method all through. Since last year July, I started trying for conception all to no avail. I went for scan and I was told there was no problem. But up till now, there’s no baby to show for it. I am worried and I am 36yrs! Please, Doc help me.

A: Withdrawal method involves pulling the male organ out of the vagina just before ejaculation. This method can protect against pregnancy if used well but does not protect against STIs. It has been argued in some quarters that the pre-ejaculate (a lubricating fluid) may contain some sperm cells and so even if your partner is able to withdraw before ejaculation, the harm would have been done. However, the sperm in the pre-ejaculate is not there at the time the fluid is produced, but is sperm from previous ejaculations that was probably left in the urethra. It is believed that urinating and cleaning the tip of the penis before sexual intercourse helps to clear the urethra of the sperm left from previous ejaculations. Congratulations on having been able to prevent pregnancy using this method! 😀

Secondary infertility is very common, but not often talked about. Even when women present themselves to the hospital, they don’t come out straight to let the doctor know what actually brought them to hospital, and rather list a series of symptoms most often, unconnected to their primary (main) concerns. Secondary infertility is the inability to become pregnant, or carry a pregnancy to term following the birth of one or more children. There however has to be frequent (at least three times a week), unprotected intercourse for a period of at least one year (six months for women older than 35), for this definition to be complete.

The causes include impaired sperm production (quantity and/or quality), erectile dysfunction, or new disease conditions in males. In females the causes include tubal damage (that is damage to the tubes from infections or adhesions in which case certain body surfaces stick together following surgery), ovulation problems (menstrual abnormalities), uterine conditions (infections from complications during a prior delivery, retained placenta, or a miscarriage which wasn’t properly cared for), complications from previous pregnancy(excessive bleeding following delivery) and changes in you or your partners’ risk factors; like changes in age (increasing age), weight, smoking and use of certain medications or disease conditions.

Oftentimes, no reason can be found for the infertility and this is even more nerve wracking, because nobody has an idea how long it’s going to last or what treatments are going to work best. Joining support groups and/or counseling sessions may be helpful during this period of waiting.

Prevention of infertility is targeted at the risk factors. Quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, exercise moderately and keep your weight within normal limits.

Find a hospital with a good Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialist. The closest teaching hospital to you may be a good place to start your search. He will examine you properly and advice on the best course of treatment for you.

All the best! J