chatwithketch

Q: Please, doctor is it only on children health that you give advice?
A friend was complaining that his penis use to be small like that of a child. He was also afraid of being impotent. So he asked me and I said I don’t know why it is so. I now told him that I will ask you. What is the cause and the remedy to it. Thanks

A: Thanks for writing in and yes, it does appear that I ‘minister’ to only children because I appear to have a lot of mothers on this page who ask questions…way to go, mums! But hey, your question is equally important.

The issue of penile length has been a problem forever and people generally think that bigger is better. Is it? The average penile length is about 8 to 13cm when not erect and this can be pushed up to 13 to 18cm when erect, give or take a few. Does the penile size determine whether a man can father a child or not? Absolutely not…penile size does not affect fertility.

A woman’s vagina is about 7.5cm and would lengthen to about 10cm when aroused and so, generally, there should be no problems with sexual intercourse as the average length of a penis can adequately cover this gap.

Now the challenge…a lot of men who think they are small in this area are actually within the average measures but perception can make them think otherwise. For instance, the only way they can assess the size is by looking down at it and this automatically makes it look smaller. If you looked sideways in a mirror, you might just think, it looks longer. Men who are fat also appear to have smaller penises because the fat around the stomach may hide part of the base of the penis, making it look shorter.

It does appear that guys with small penises achieve about 100% increase in length during sexual excitement, probably nature’s way of compensating as opposed to men with longer ones who may achieve about 75% increase in length.

There are all sorts of touted treatments that help increase penile length including surgery, vacuum pumps, extenders, creams, pills etc. There is little evidence that people who go through this are satisfied with the result or that they work. Indeed, some can cause permanent damage.

So, what to do?

Take charge…lose weight if you’re overweight and have a heart-to-heart chat with your partner about this. You just may be surprised to hear that she doesn’t care. If you still feel bad about this, you may try talking with your doctor.

That’s it, guys 😀 Have a good night y’all 😀

Good morning, Dr. I have been having this problem. We have been trying for a child for so long but nothing has happened. What can I do? Last time, she got pregnant but lost it. Months after, we began to try again. We want to get pregnant by December. Please, help Doc

A: I have received a lot of questions similar to this in recent times and I hope this will answer the others too.

You gave me no idea how long you’ve been trying for a baby.Not being able to have a child at the time that we expect it can be a harrowing experience…especially in Africa where a couple of months into your marriage, family members and even outsiders are beginning to look at you in suggestive ways. Some actually ask outright, ‘when are you guys planning to start having babies?’
However, in the medical world, we can only agree that perhaps there might be an issue after one full year of trying to have babies with no luck. This, however, implies that there is frequent and unprotected sexual intercourse. Frequency in this respect means that sexual intercourse should be at least 3 times in a week. Unprotected means that there should be no barrier protection like a condom. Don’t laugh…this has been known to happen. People use a condom and then expect to get pregnant 😀 The ejaculate (semen) should also be of significant volume.

So, if this has been established to have been happening for one year, the next thing is to run tests. The less ‘invasive’ tests are usually done first. This usually involves the husband who provides his semen for analysis. Other tests will now be run on the wife, which presumably has already happened in the case above.
Some causes of infertility in men include problems with the production of sperm, problems with the delivery of sperm, being exposed to environmental toxins (like sitting in hot tubs) and cancer.
Some causes of infertility in women include problems with ovulation, problems with the uterus and cervix, blockage or damage of the fallopian tube, thyroid problems, cancer etc.
Other risk factors for both sexes include use of alcohol and tobacco, being overweight or even underweight and age (the older people get, the more difficult it is to get pregnant).
Where a problem is identified, this is taken care of through various options like the use of drugs or surgery.
Oftentimes, no reason can be found for the infertility. In these instances, the couple may want to consider assisted reproduction. Your doctor will discuss the different options available in your area and if you can afford it, he will suggest other centers where better facilities exist.
Prevention of infertility is targeted at the risk factors. Quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, exercise moderately and keep your weight within normal limits.
Infertility is really 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, patiently and prayerfully 🙂

Condolences on the loss of your baby. It is never an easy experience for anyone to go through. I’m really happy that you want to find out what happened and what to do to prevent this in future. I trust that you and your wife have found ways of openly discussing this with each other so that you both can air your hurts and heal together.

Unfortunately, often times, the cause of a miscarriage is not identified. Your wife needs to understand this so that she doesn’t blame herself unduly. Having said that though, first trimester miscarriages are mainly due to problems with the baby/fetus. These problems could be due to problems with the placenta. This is how the baby receives its nutrients in the womb and so, if this organ cannot deliver, a miscarriage might occur. There may also be a problem with the baby’s chromosomes, such that a baby may receive too many or too few genetic materials or there may be a damaged egg/sperm. Other associated risk factors include smoking and drinking alcohol, being overweight, malnutrition, increased maternal age, trauma and drug abuse. By the way, trimester is 3 months of pregnancy. So, first trimester refers to the 1st three months, 2nd trimester, the 2nd three months and 3rd trimester, the last three months

To try for a pregnancy again, remember to ensure there is unprotected sexual intercourse at least three times a week with ejaculation of sufficient amounts of semen. Your wife should start of folate supplements as soon as she can to prepare her and baby for the journey ahead.

To prevent a recurrence, focus on ensuring that your wife stays healthy and does not indulge in harmful habits like smoking and excessive alcohol drinking. Other helpful tips include eating healthy, keeping weight within normal parameters, avoiding trauma and not abusing drugs.

In addition, as soon as she gets pregnant again, she should register or antenatal as soon as possible and keep to her appointments religiously. She should also contact her obstetrician, even if she’s not due for an appointment, something may be wrong with her baby.
For more on this topic, please click on the link below:

Daily Health Tips: What Should I Do To Conceive Again After A Miscarriage?

Have a great day, people 😀

Ever wondered whether your baby is too small for her age? Teething too soon or too late? What to do when your baby is teething? How to encourage your babies to read as they grow?

Just For The Health Of It With Dr Ketch explores this and other issues around parenting.

Visit http://www.buywiseng.com/index.php?id_category=53&controller=category and get yourself and loved ones copies 😀 You can pay online with your card or through the banks without your card.

Power Oil Saturday Challenge

Please note that the answers to this challenge have to be submitted on our blog.

On our 5-minute show on Wednesday,  we gave tips to help keep cholesterol levels normal.

“For a chance to win any of our prizes, answer the question below’:

List five ways of keeping your cholesterol level at a healthy level.

The first person to answer correctly, will win our star prize.

Terms and conditions:

Participants must be followers of our blog. If you’re not a follower, click on the link http://www.chatwithdrketch to qualify.

Answers are based on our TV show as broadcast on Silverbird TV on Wednesday, 10th December.

The first correct answer is the winner of the 1st prize (a 3 litre bottle of Power oil, a Power oil apron, a Power oil T-shirt and pens)

The next 2 correct answers get a Power oil apron, a Power oil T-shirt and Power oil branded pens.

All winners will be entered into the grand finale challenge for this season happening in the 11th week. Mouth watering, exciting gifts!!!

(To qualify for the grand finale draw, all winners should send in pictures of themselves wearing their Power Oil aprons and cooking up a storm in the kitchen using Power Oil. The winners will be revealed in the 11th week.)

Only one answer per participant will be accepted.

If a participant provides more than one answer, the first answer will be used.

Edited answers will be disqualified.

This challenge lapses by 11.59 pm on Tuesday, the 16th of December, 2014

So, what are you waiting for?! Best of luck, guys!

Dear all, to serve y’all better, we will be moving most of our activities to our blog. This will happen bit by bit but will be concluded in the new year 2015.

In order to continue to get our daily health tips, please follow the blog. To encourage y’all, the first 5 people to follow this blog and then comment on this post will get N1000 airtime each. More of this coming soon 😀

Let’s do this people 😀

Fastest fingers first!

Are you pregnant? Just had a baby? Are you worried about what to pack in your hospital bag? Worried you may pack too much or too little? Want to know what’s useful and what’s not? Want to know how to get on with the business of taking care of your baby even though you’re worried, you may not be up to it? Well, you’ve got help.

The book, ‘Just For The health Of It With Dr Ketch’ explores these and other issues around pregnancy and childbirth.

Visit http://www.buywiseng.com or just click on the link http://www.buywiseng.com/index.php?id_category=53&controller=category and get yourself and loved ones copies 😀

With the buywise platform, you have the choice of paying on line with your card or paying at the bank if you do not want to use your card on line. If you experience any challenges or have questions, please call 08068503328.

Are you pregnant or getting pregnant soon? Know a pregnant woman? Have you heard all those pregnancy myths that people bandy around?

Let’s give you an example:

Advice: Pregnant women should not drink directly from the bottle so that baby will not have hiccups

Verdict – Fiction: Well, it certainly is a great idea to be lady-like and drink from a cup, right 😀 But this has nothing to do with baby having a hiccup.

For more myths and verdicts, pick up a copy of the new book, ‘Just For The Health Of It With Dr Ketch’. It’s loaded with this and so much more 😀