Women's health with Dr Rasheedah

This is the second post in the infertility series and as the title suggests, I will be discussing ovulation problems causing infertility. Ovulation disorders are the most common cause of female infertility,it is estimated to account for nearly 25% of cases. Ovulation is the monthly release of egg from the ovaries, if conditions are favourable, this egg will become fertilized by sperm resulting in potential conception. In no particular order I've split factors into different headings to make it easier to follow. Weight, drugs and alcohol Excess weight can affect fertility as it causes influences hormonal regulation which can cause infertility but this can also be influenced by being underweight so maintaining a healthy BMI or as close enough as possible is important for fertility. If you're unsure what is healthy for you then visit  here.   Some drugs( prescribed or illicit) can also have a negative effect on fertility. Some women who might have had chemotherapy...

This post is first in a series of posts about Infertility. This topic is quite delicate and close to my heart so hopefully I can steer the discussion on a productive path. We all have personal stories or know someone on their journey to conception and this road sometimes isn’t quite as smooth for some of us. If you’re a Nigerian woman reading this, chances are that you’ve heard stories, seen  Nollywood movies or even real life scenarios where women have been persecuted for failing to conceive. Public service announcement---Men can be Infertile too!!!! I digress- forgive me Here are the facts: Infertililty  is defined as the failure of conception in a couple having regular, unprotected sexual intercourse for one year, provided that normal intercourse is occurring .(Reccommended-not less than twice weekly) ·          Approximately 80% of couples will be pregnant after 12 cycles/periods. ·     ...

 Ok breasts! Breasts! Breasts!   I said that thrice on purpose, I figured if we say it enough then women will stop shying away from this topic. As soon as breasts are mentioned in a health related setting, a lot of women go into shutdown mode and would prefer to bury their heads in the sands.  It’s breast cancer!!!!.....but is it??? I know, I get it, I understand, breast cancer is scary and even I have lost a first degree relative from this disease but let’s get some boob education and not just leave it till October   (Breast cancer awareness month). So here are the facts (According to WHO): Breast Cancer is the most   frequent cancer among women, impacting over 1.5 million women each year Causes the greatest number of cancer-related deaths among women. In 2015, 570,000 women died from breast cancer – that is approximately 15% of all cancer deaths among women. While breast cancer rates are higher among women in more developed regions, rates...

  So this post was inspired by a recent visit to Nigeria. The statistics for unwanted pregnancies and/or abandoned babies is alarming and the truth is they are preventable. A brief data gathering exercise from the women that surrounded me at a point in time revealed that the average woman was not armed with enough information to choose the right contraception and consistently access and use this method. It was sad that a few teenagers I spoke to viewed contraception as either condoms or ‘Postinor’. The average age of first sexual intercourse is around 15, according to the World Bank, in many communities talking about sex before marriage is taboo or ungodly and contraception is believed to encourage promiscuity amongst the youth. It is important however for women in the world today including Nigeria to arm themselves with information and take control of their sexual health. Another barrier to women accessing contraception is the notion that it is expensive; However Postinor-...

Hello! and welcome. If you made it here, thank you for reading, please feel free to comment and share. My name is Rasheedah, I am a Muslim, Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother,Friend, other family member (lol) but most pertinent to this blog, I am a Doctor-a GP trainee who is keen on Women's health particularly as it affects my birth country Nigeria. I have had an idea for this blog for a while but never quite took the plunge. To celebrate International Women's day 2018, I have decided to start this blog. Our posts will be directed at women (Sorry guys) and I will aim to put up a post weekly discussing several topics as it relates to women's health. I am happy to receive questions, suggestions and contributions so please drop me an email or leave a comment. Here it goes....