Balance the hormones

Q) I am 49 year old woman. I stopped menstruating three-and-a-half years ago. My partner is really worried that I might become pregnant if we have unprotected sex. It does also slightly worry me. My history is unremarkable and no menstrual problems and no menopause problems.

How can I find out if I am still ovulating? A) Cessation of menstruation and the age of 49 indicate that you have attained Menopause. Hence the chances of you getting pregnant are practically nil. You can get examined by a gynecologist or get your reproductive hormones levels assessed to confirm your menopausal status. To know whether you are ovulating or not you can undergo Follicular study using ultrasound scanners.

Q) I am a 27-year-old man and my wife had our first baby a year ago. Since the birth, I have not had sex with my wife. When we try to have sex she says it hurts too much. We want to have a second child but since we can’t have sex, we don’t know what to do. In addition, I ejaculate too quickly. What should we do?

A) Get your wife examined by a Gynaecologist. If episiotomy has been performed during delivery and if the wound has not healed adequately it may cause pain. An Episiotomy is a surgical incision through the Perineum (the region between the lower margin of the vulva and Anus) to enlarge the vaginal passage to assist child birth. Apart from this any problems in your wife’s genital/reproductive organs can cause the pain. If she does not lubricate or if her vaginal secretions are reduced due to any cause, the dryness can result in pain. Your Premature Ejaculation can either be due to physical causes or psychological causes. Depending upon the cause either Pharmacotherapy (treatment with medicines) or Sex Therapy can be undertaken. Consult a Sexologist in person.

(The writer is a sexologist. You can mail him at dr.narayana@deccanmail.com)