PREGNANCY WITHOUT FALLOPIAN TUBES

Is it possible for someone without falopian tube to conceive? I am a little bit confused. My sister that has finish giving birth removed her tubes, but right now she is pregnant. How is this possible? Can you please explain to me. Idowu, Abuja One acceptable fact in medicine is never to say never. There is no method of family planning or contraception that does not have a failure rate. Only the failure rate differs some high some extremely low. Concerning tubal ligation which is a permanent method of contraception can still fail and the failure rate depends on the method used Current methods method of tubal ligation could have a failure rate as low as less than 0.2%.

Your sister could be one of those rare cases of failed bilateral tubal ligation. I must also mention the fact that when the operation is done by unqualified personnels a contiguous structure - round ligament could be mistaken for the tubes. So one must see the fimbrial end before the ligation.

DISCHARGE AND PAINFUL COITUS

I have been experiencing milk coloured discharge from my penis for about 2-3 weeks now. Meeting with my wife is a problem as I’m constantly in pain whenever I’m at it. Please help me. Ahmad, Kano. You are having a form of sexually transmitted disease. For now you should abstain from sex. You need to be treated first. It may not be advisable to prescribe drugs without knowing the appropriate drugs that whatever you are suffering from is sensitive to. You need to do urethral swab for microscopy, culture and sensitivity also additional tests like midstream urine for m/c/s is important and also blood for VDRL test. You and your wife should be properly treated. Untreated STD can lead to urethral stricture with associated difficulties in voiding and excruciating pains. Also fertility problem can also result from low sperm count to azospermia that is no sperm cells at all in ejaculate due to obstruction in the spermatic cord because of untreated or poorly treated infection. With the duration of the STD and you having sex with your wife since, she might be infected too though there might not be symptoms yet in her. There is what we called sub clinical infection. She too must run laboratory t sis and the two of you treated. I will encourage you to complete the treatment because incomplete treatment is also dangerous. I have had patients especially men, once they feel better they become too busy to complete there drugs. Let me use to advise all men to always adress issue of urethral discharge and painful urination promptly, adequately and aggressively. A lot of women with fertility problems result from these issues. Also urethral stricture complication of neglected STD could be devastating. Once you see this symptoms avoid sex with your partner and treat but your wife must also be treated with you.

Kindly see your family physician or urologist as soon as possible.

PREGNANCY AND SEX

What is the role of sex in pregnancy? Is it really important. Some people say it helps in easy delivery. I have lost interest in it as it’s not comfortable. I am afraid of hurting the baby inside too. Hauwa, Lokoja

Psychological it could be important. For men denying them sex throughout pregnancy may not be good enough and for family bonding it is better to allow even if not as frequent as before. For the women who desire it and the man is not cooperative during pregnancy it is also psychological traumatizing. It may appear like abandonment and post pregnancy relationship may be affected.

In terms of it been beneficial to delivery it is not practically proven. With or without sex, labour that will go normally will do.

In times of comfortable positions, we have discussed it before in previous episodes, you have to work it out with your husband.