Ask the doctor

Dear Doctor, I am experiencing leakage from my rectum and it is embarrassing.

The most common cause of leaking is damage to the muscles around the anus.

Vaginal childbirth can damage the anal sphincters or their nerves. That’s why women are affected by accidental bowel leakage about twice as often as men.

Anal surgery can also damage the anal sphincters or nerves, leading to bowel incontinence.

There are many other potential causes of bowel incontinence, including diarrhea, impacted stool, inflammatory bowel disease, nerve damage, radiation damage to the rectum or conditions that lead to cognitive (thinking) impairment (such as after a stroke or advanced Alzheimer’s disease).

Dear Doctor, What is wrong if your private part is painful?

When and how did the pain start? Are you male or female?

The causes may vary from physical trauma, sexually transmitted infections, any other infections or inflammations.

Consult your doctor and give a complete history so you can get the right diagnosis and treatment.

Dear Doctor, I am on a family planning injection. For about three months I have not got my periods. But this month I got my periods for about 15 days and it has not stopped. I also have periods pain.

It is normal to have no periods or intermenstrual bleeding when using the injectable contraceptives like Depo-Provera or Nuristerate.

Have you not missed the date of your next scheduled injection? That can cause breakthrough bleeding.

Dear Doctor, Every time I try to pee it takes a long time for my urine to come and at night I urinate many times.

The flow of urine can be affected by infections, inflammations or enlarged masses in the genitourinary tract (eg, prostate in males).

SMS ‘HEALTH’ to 32212 with your question (cost is R1 per SMS) or e-mail questions to health@citizen.co.za