Can fibroid responsible for my barrenness?

With Auntie Agatha gataedo@yahoo.com, agatha.edo@gmail.com Tel: 08054500626 Dear Agatha, May God bless you for the good work you are doing for humanity. Agatha, I have been married for some years now without a child. I am trusting God for the fruit of the womb. I am positive he will, one day, answer me. I have been to general hospital, done several tests with my husband, but all to no avail. All the always say is for us to go for more medical tests and at the end of all these endless tests, they prescribe drugs for me. However, sometime last year, I went again to keep my appointment with my doctor. Unfortunately or fortunately, I didn’t meet my regular doctor. I had to see another doctor who was entirely new in the system. After examining me, he said my body temperature was rather high than normal, and it might make conception difficult for me. I was given some prescriptions that almost killed me. I had to stop attending the hospital. In the course of my husband conversing with his boss, he introduced us to the private hospital he attends with his family. According to his boss, he also suffered from childlessness before he met this doctor who helped him and his wife become parents. There is this hotness I always feel before and shortly after my period. When I told the doctor about it, he examined me with some instruments after which he told me I have fibroids. Since I went alone, he requested to see my husband. When I informed my husband about the desire of the doctor to see him, he instructed me not to go to the hospital again. His grouse has to do with their high medical charges. The least I spend each time I go there is N20,000. Agatha, my questions now are, can this hotness prevent me from getting pregnant? What are the symptoms of fibroids? I need your help on this matter. I know I don’t have fibroids, because nobody in my family has anything like that. Mama T. Dear Mama T, Unfortunately, the reasons some women develop fibroids and other don’t, are still very shrouded in vagueness. But one thing is clear, it runs in families, and affected women often have a family history of fibroids. Since no woman in your family has ever had it, you may have to seek a second medical opinion to be doubly sure you are getting the right diagnosis. It is always better to go for a second opinion when dealing with serious and sensitive medical challenges like you have. From my experience having high body temperature doesn’t translate to a woman having fibroid even though it can have impact on the ease with which a woman can get pregnant. The drugs prescribed for you by the doctor may be too powerful for you. The right thing should have been for you to go back to the doctor to complain about the drugs. Had you told him, he might have found a way of reducing the frequency with which you take the drugs or found you an alternative that would work with your system better. However, see a gynecologist for proper medical examination and treatment. Contrary to what a lot of people think, government hospitals still have the best medical personnel. The only thing required is for you to exercise patience when dealing with them. However, if you are able to secure an appointment, you can be sure of getting the right kind of treatment. But let him or her know about the different kinds of examinations and tests you have gone through as well as the kinds of drugs you have been given. If possible go with your reports and samples of the drugs you have been given so far. This information would help the doctor know where to start. The danger of having multiplicity of doctors is the different drugs you will be given. Once you are able to link up with a good doctor, develop the confidence to stay through a treatment. One of your errors is not having the patience to complete a course of treatment anywhere. Such an attitude can only bring into your life needless complications as a result of the different kinds of drugs and conclusions each new doctor you visit comes up with. Seeking second opinion is different from what you are doing now. For some strange reasons, women of African descent are two to three times more likely to develop fibroids than women of other races. The reason for this isn’t clearly defined, but researchers are of the opinion that it has to do with our gene. Fibroids grow in response to stimulation by the hormone estrogen, produced naturally in the body. These growths can show up as early as age 20 and shrink after menopause when the body stops producing large amounts of estrogen. Fibroids can be tiny and cause no problems, but they also can grow to weigh several kilogrammes. It is a matter of luck. Fibroids grow slowly, some become so life threatening, spreading very close to the heart. They actually start in the muscle tissues of the uterus. They can also grow into the uterine cavity into the thickness of the uterine wall or on the surface of the uterus into the abdominal cavity. Some deadly ones actually grow right inside the uterus making conception impossible as they take the place meant for the baby to stay and grow inside the womb. A uterine fibroid is the most common benign, not cancerous tumour of a woman’s uterus. Fibroids are tumours of the smooth muscle that is normally found in the wall of the uterus. They can develop within the uterine wall itself or attach to it. They may grow as a single tumour or in clusters. Uterine fibroids can cause excessive menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, and frequent urination. So even though they are termed “benign tumors,” fibroids potentially can cause many health problems. These growths occur in up to 50 per cent of all women and are one leading cause of hysterectomy, removal of the uterus among women in the world. In Nigeria, the lack of viable data makes it impossible to say how many women go for such operations or how many survive it. But, it contributes majorly to the gynecological problems many women are having. Abroad, particularly in the United States, they have been able to come up with a less all-encompassing surgical treatments are now available to help control the growth of fibroids. The following factors have been associated with the presence of fibroids, being overweight, although extremely slim women have been known to battle severe cases of fibroids. The second sign is a woman who hasn’t given birth before. This is why you should ask for a second opinion. If true you have fibroid, it is always better to commence treatment early before it becomes too complicated. However, not all women who are experiencing difficulties conceiving have fibroids. Some just have delays than defy medical reasons. Another study say women who started menstruating before 10 years of age are more prone to having fibroid. If a woman is also having abnormally heavy and embarrassing flow, it is a sign that she might have fibroid or experiencing movement, akin to that of a baby somewhere in the vicinity of her womb. Whatever your story is, go and see a doctor trained in the area of your challenge. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to secondly guess your health challenge. This is what you should communicate to your husband, he has to support you to win this battle and not focus only on the money that is being demanded from him. Good luck.

She ought to remain a friend though married…

With Auntie Agatha gataedo@yahoo.com, agatha.edo@gmail.com Tel: 08054500626 Dear Agatha, I had this beautiful but unreliable lady I shared my ambition with. Back then, I was cub-reporter. I was busy and building a career. I was out of Nigeria for some years; when I got back, I discovered to my shock that the lady was double dating all the while. Even the parents didn’t know or the things she was capable of. Now she is married while the young man she hurt so much is still single though extremely wealthy. Shouldn’t she at least be friendly with this man from her past? Disappointed Man. Dear Disappointed Man, There is nothing strange in your story. I am sure, almost everyman or woman for that matter has similar story to tell. Disappointment is concomitant with the things of the heart. Since this woman is married, move on with your life. There is nothing between the two of you anymore. Just as you wouldn’t want your wife, when you marry to stay connected to her ex-boyfriend, it would be totally out of place to expect this woman, no matter what your opinion is of her to stay allied to you now. Whatever existed between the two of you remains in the past. She has a new life, new identity and focus as wife and mother. Besides if she goes out of her way to be friendly with you, she will only be enforcing the already low opinion you have of her so why risk her home to stay friendly with a person who thinks she is morally bankrupt? Wouldn’t that be risking too much? Move on. Out there is a woman for you. You and this one were never meant to be. Good luck.