The Doc Replies

Our expert answers your medical questions

I am 47 and have always had regular periods, but lately I have been bleeding between periods. This is not uncommon, but it should be looked into.

It is more likely to be a concern the older the woman, and there are a number of problems that could cause bleeding.

A common cause in younger people is break-through bleeding which can happen when someone starts the contraceptive pill.

Sometimes bleeding occurs in early pregnancy. A key question about any bleeding is when it happens – i.e. after sex, or is it erratic?

If it is after sex it could be a cervical polyp or, more rarely, cervical cancer, particularly in older women who have not had regular smear tests.

If more erratic, there is a possibility of cancer of the womb, again more likely in older women.

Sometimes it can just be a hormonal imbalance, especially approaching the menopause.

It is helpful to keep a calendar of what is happening and take it to your doctor.

How long do babies carry their mother’s immunity? I’ve just become a mum.

This is called passive immunity, which means the baby has received antibodies from its mother rather than making them itself.

How well that happens depends on the mother’s immunity and most of this happens in the last three months of pregnancy.

A premature baby won’t have as much. Breast-fed babies are at an advantage because there are antibodies in breast milk.

The immunity is temporary from weeks to months, depending on the condition..

How do I check my own pulse? The easiest one to feel is the radial pulse in the wrist.

Hold out one of your hands, palm up, then you put your index and middle finger of the other hand on the inside of the wrist just at the base of the thumb.

Don’t press too hard, you feel it quite lightly. You are looking to see if the pulse is regular.

If it is very irregular, see a doctor.