Dear Doctor,

I am 24 years old and getting married on the 28^th of November.  I always have always had irregular periods. The time lapse varies from one month to 2.5 months. This month I had used primolut n to get my periods earlier as it clashed my wedding dates. I want to know if this would cause my normal periods to laps and decrease to 15-20 days. And this time the bleeding was less than normal.  I also want to avoid early pregnancy. Suggest me a suitable method to do so.  Please help. Swati, Mumbai

Please start yourself on an oral contraceptive pill—it will regulate your periods and also avoid a pregnancy.

Dear Doctor,

I am 37 years old, having polycystic overies for the past 6-7 years. I was conceived with injections (I have a healthy baby boy) as I do not get my periods unless I take dupestone. This is disturbs me very much and I weigh 94 Kg with the height of 5'6". I don’t eat heavy meals and even though I exercise and diet my weight does not reduce. Can you please suggest me on how to control my weight and if I try for another baby (of course with the help of injections) will I be able to get a healthy child? Piumi, Dubai

You have PCO and unless you get your weight under control, you will need fertility treatment to conceive. You can see an endocrinologist and get started on regular glucophage to optimise your hormonal profile and weight reduction is mandatory.

Dear Doctor,

I had my first delivery on 28.06.2003. After my delivery I did not get periods till December. After that I used to get it only once in 3-4 months that too after using Provera tablets as recommended by doctor. This year in August I was detected pregnant again and due to circumstances I had to terminate the pregnancy. I was told that the next period would come after one month of the termination, which again didn’t happen so I visited the Gynaec and she prescribed the Provera tablet, which I took and finally got my periods on 17th of Oct 04.

Now one month later I still have not got my periods. I did my pregnancy test at home, which was negative. We have safe sex using condoms. Please advise what needs to be done to regulate my periods and also if you could suggest a proper contraceptive method for me other than condoms. Is it safe to use Provera tablets again to get my period? SVK, Sharjah

You can use provera to get your periods. Please check a complete hormonal profile such as TSH, FSH, LH, Prolactin. If the hormones are ok you can start on any oral contraceptive pill to get cycle control.

Dear Doctor,

I'm a 24-year-old married woman. Kindly advise which are the peak days of conceiving in a month.  Jenny C, Dubai

If you have 28 days cycles you will be ready to ovulate on the 14^th day and have good chances of conceiving.

Dear Doctor,

Does taking Primolut N enhance my choice in conceiving a male baby? Sheba, Abu Dhabi

I don’t think it has any such role.

Dear Doctor,

I am a married woman childless for 6 years now. I have undergone tests and it is found that my husband's sperm count is below normal. Please advice me on what should I to do conceive. Tanveer, Sharjah

You may need to start him on treatment to help and improve the counts. Then we can do fertility treatment such as artificial insemination to help u to conceive

Dear Doctor,

I am 22 years old and got married two and half year ago. I don't have baby yet so I’m planning to conceive soon but my prolactin level is high due to that I am not ovulating. The doctor had advised me to take Dopergin for 15 days. Also sometimes my periods are irregular but not always. I want to know the reasons for high prolactin and also how to treat it effectively.  Nadia, Abu Dhabi

There are several reasons for raised prolactin. But Dopergine is quite effective in reducing the levels. If your periods are still irregular you may also have an underlying polycystic ovaries, which is a hormonal problem and causes a delay in conception

Dear Doctor,

I am 32years old having two children aged 10 and 7yrs. I am trying for a third child but am not able to conceive. I have regular cycle of 26 days but I have noticed I do not have the vaginal discharge, which I used to get earlier normally. Can you please clarify this?  Pel, Kuwait

Your best bet would be to see a gynaecologist around the 12^th day of your cycle for a follicle tracking and see if you are ovulating or not.

Dear Doctor,

I am 21 years old and have is married for 10 months now. I have been having vaginal discharge for some years. Can u please explain what might be the possible cause and how may it be cured. This is really worrying me. Also will this affect my husband? Shamsa, Dubai

Just go and meet up with a gynaecologist. And a vaginal swab needs to be taken to exclude any vaginal infections which if treated will cure you of the discharge.

Dear Doctor,

I am 33 years old, weighing 80 kgs, which was 89 before and I reduced it in a year. My total cholesterol is 270 mg/dl, LDL and troiglyecrides 213-mg/dl and HDL 41 mg/ dl, my bp is 150/100, but my doctor hasn’t given me any medicine for this. She said just reduce my weight.5 months back. 

I started getting pains from the whole left side of my body. After taking so many painkillers, I still have pains, only on the left part starting from the neck till the back. It is paining when I touch these parts too. I used to sweat profusely before, but for past 1 year I am always feeling cold and not sweating at all even in the very hot humid weather. 

Four months back I took the depo provera injection. I haven’t got my periods since. Two weeks back I was given hormonal tablets. Still my periods haven’t returned. The effect of the injection was for 3 months. After that I didn’t take the injection. My weight is simply increasing. Please advise. Sherin, Manama, Bahrain

It looks like your obesity may be the cause for all the hormonal disturbances. You have to lose weight - see a dietician, go to a Gym with a trainer to help you to loose weight. Besides also do a detailed hormonal work up such as TSH, FSH, LH, Prolactin.

Dear Doctor,

Why shouldn't Primolut N be taken during pregnancy? Seema, Dubai

It may cause masculinisation of the female foetus. So it’s a precaution to avoid primolut –n tablets in pregnancy.

Dear Doctor,

I am a 25-year old woman. I have a small acne on my left breast since last 1 month. There is no pain, bleeding or pus. Is it a sign of breast cancer. In my family my maternal aunt (mother's sister) died of breast cancer. Please help me. Nirmala, Dubai

I doubt very much whether it’s cancer—however we always advise to show it to a doctor if you are worried - just not to take any chances.

Dear Doctor,

I am 38 years old and a mother of two daughters who is 9 and 5 years old. My problem is that I have uterine fibroid within the uterus. Due to that I get painful periods and heavy bleeding with clots. My second problem is that I have an umblical hernia also. So doctor from India suggested to operate both as early as possible. My question is that if both are operated at one time is there one scars or two? I am confused. Please advice. Trupti, Mumbai

To remove the fibroid we go in thru a pfannensteil scar—a bikini cut just above the hairline. The umbilical hernia will be repaired through a small incision near your umbilicus. But both can be done at the same time.

Dear Doctor,

Since I started having periods they have always been irregular. I have taken several medicines to get my periods on a regular track. Sometimes they are on time and sometimes they are not. The time lapse of my periods varies from one month to 4 months. 

Now at the age of 28, doctors tell me that I have polycystic ovarian disorder but an ultrasound last year did not reveal anything abnormal with my ovaries. Still I am taking homeopathic medicines because of the irregularity of my periods. I am going out on a vacation with my husband and I want to postpone my periods. 

But my doc says that it is not advisable for me to do so and that I should not disrupt the periods because of the erratic schedule of my periods. What do you suggest I should do? Should I take tablets to postpone my periods and if yes can you suggest which ones to take? Dolly, Mumbai

You can take OCPills to delay your periods. It will not do any change to your irregular periods. At least it will delay the cycle. You can even take 2 cycles of OCPills without a break—so you will not have periods for 2 months.

Dear Doctor,

I am on Tegral for the last 1 year, due to a severe epileptic seizure and followed headaches. I was two months pregnant at that time, since I had to start medication. I was advised to abort the pregnancy since it could damage the foetus. My last periods were in early May. Since then I've not had them. Please tell me what should I do? Thanks and regards. Mrs Imran, Sharjah

The first thing is you need to know if you are pregnant again or is it just a delayed period. If you are pregnant then we need to decide if it’s safe for you to continue with the pregnancy, taking into account of your seizure problem. Basically if you have not had a recent seizure and you are on a single medication only, then with the advice of the neurologist, pregnancy can be allowed.

Dear Doctor,  

I did test of Velocit for pregnancy check, which turned out Negative but still my periods have not started. With a friend’s suggestion I started taking Primolut – N. I am very much worried. What should I do as periods have not yet started. Please help me. Shilpa, Pune

It’s always better to do a blood test for preganacy called—beta HCG. If the beta HCG is negative then you can take progesterone tablets such as primolut to initiate a bleeding.

I am 23 years old and got married 1 and a-half years ago. My husband is 28 years old, We both are young and healthy. I want to have a baby now. My question is that after intercourse his cum (sperms) comes out of me immediately. Is this some problem that I have or is this normal. And do all the sperms come out or some of them stay inside the vagina. 

And also in this case can I be pregnant? And does the intake of folic acid (5mg or less) increase the chances of fertility. What should be the dosage? Please advise in detail. Mrs.Humna,  Abu Dhabi

It’s quite normal for the seminal fluid to come out after ejaculation. Even a tiny speck of semen is enough to get you pregnant. Yes, you can take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily.

You can start any available OCPill packet and continue to take one packet after another for 2 months and you will not get a period till you finish the marriage and your honeymoon!!! Good luck

If you have lost the pregnancy so early with high blood pressure  you need to have certain blood tests done to assess if there is any cause and for this to not happen in the subsequent pregnancy. You need to see your doctor and get the clearance before you go ahead with a pregnancy.