Michael O. Oluwafemi

12/01/2025

Craw-craw....
Kurunaaa!!!!!
LoL!
I know you have heard about s*xually transmitted infections; STI, but are you informed that Craw-Craw can be s*xually transmitted?

Hehehehe!

Yes! Craw-craw, aka Scabies, can be a s*xually-transmitted infection.
The condition is caused by the organism Sarcoptes scabei which can be introduced through ge***al contact during s*x.

So, you probably feel safe using a condom, but little do you know that you can still catch Scabies from the small bodily contact during the act!!

Get wisdom, abstain!
Don't get Craw-Craw!

16/03/2024

Unsafe abortion

Unsafe abortions are one of the leading but preventable causes of maternal death and illness worldwide. In fact, around 45% of all abortions are unsafe for the mother and most of them take place in low and middle-income countries.

Abortion is legal in Mozambique, but women and adolescent girls in rural areas still face challenges accessing .

Social stigma, the financial cost and a limited availability of services affect women’s ability to make informed and independent decisions about their s*xual and reproductive health and rights ( ).

“I had heard of safe abortion but didn't know about the specific procedures to provide it,” says nurse Lina, 1 of 264 health-care providers trained on s*xual and reproductive health and rights, including safe abortion care, through the Her Future, Her Choice project.

Her Future, Her Choice aims to support women and adolescent girls by empowering them to access s*xual and reproductive health and rights information and services, training health-care providers and breaking negative stigmas to allow women and girls to make informed decisions about their bodies.

That’s how the project has positively affected over 114,000 people including more than 79,000 women and girls across Mozambique.

Together, Oxfam Canada and the Government of Canada support the s*xual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls in Mozambique through the Her Future, Her Choice project.

As part of its Feminist International Assistance Policy and 10-year commitment to global health and rights, Canada continues to advocate for the s*xual and reproductive health rights of women and girls around the world. This initiative supports Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 5.

Learn more: https://www.oxfam.ca/story/how-sharing-information-on-safe-abortion-is-transforming-lives-in-rural-mozambique

Women and Gender Equality Canada
Healthy Canadians
UN Women
Canada in Mozambique, Angola and Eswatini
United Nations
World Health Organization (WHO)

15/03/2024

UNSUPERVISED/UNASSISTED/UNATTENDED BIRTHS

The concept of unsupervised births is becoming rampant in today's world in light of socioeconomic devastation and media corruption. Media trends show popular figures attempting to set a landmark by giving birth at home, in pools or unsupervised by trained medical personnel. Other women who wish to deliver in hospitals under supervision of trained accoucher miss the opportunity from terrible financial constraints, and delays in receiving healthcare.
Mrs. D.A. suffered this date at delivery of her second child. She is a 25 year old petty trader who is married to a 50 year old farmer who had three other wives and ten children. She couldn't book her pregnancy at a hospital. On a fateful Saturday, she developed on and of contraction pains which made her know that her delivery was due. She called on her husband to take her to the hospital or health centre nearby. He had no car so he had to call on his friend to bring his car. The friend came about three hours later. The nearest hospital to them was about twenty miles away. The road to the hospital was full of potholes so the ride was slow. It took them almost two hours to reach the hospital. Just as they were approaching the gate, Mrs. D.A. felt a strong urge to poo. It was her baby's head pushing on her re**um. Just as their car entered the hospital, she delivered a male child with the placenta still in her womb. It took another hour before they could get admitted in a ward following which the placenta was clamped, cut and delivered. She had lost about a liter of blood. The baby was admitted to the neonatal unit and her packed cell volume was highly elevated. She developed jaundice a few days later and had to be on admission for almost two weeks. On the other hand, Mrs. D.A. had to be transfused with two units of blood on account of the postpartum hemorrhage.
Mrs. D.A. and her newborn child are just one of the several examples of the people who've had to suffer unsupervised childbirth as a result of medical emergencies or inadequacies of the health and socioeconomic system.
Problems of unassisted childbirth include:
Maternal:
-Precipitate Labor
-Hemorrhage
-Ge***al tract injuries
-Ge***al tract infections
-Retained placenta tissue
-Prolonged hospital stay
-Increased health care cost
-Death

Fetal:
-Birth injuries such as fractures, intracranial bleeding
-Jaundice
-Respiratory distress
-Asphyxia
-Neurological impairments
-Death

23/01/2024

WHEN WILL MY BABY TURN HEAD-DOWN?

I was at the clinic last Saturday and Mrs. Sarumi walked in to the consultation room.
"Good morning, doctor", she greeted.
"Good morning,ma. How are you?", I responded.
We exchanged pleasantries. She had come for antenatal clinic. We spoke on her health status.
As we were rounding off the conversation, she asked me a question, " Doctor, when will my baby turn heads down?".
I smiled and looked at her, ready to give her the explanation she needs.
Mrs. Sarumi is 28 weeks pregnant and has been overtly worried that her baby is yet to turn from the buttocks-down position. She has heard and read online that such a position connotes danger in pregnancy and at delivery. She was also aware that most women with such positioning of their unborn babies end up having caesarean delivery.
When a pregnancy is less than 34 weeks, the chances of the baby being in different positions, especially buttocks down is so high. The reason for this abnormal or malpresentation is due to the high ratio of amniotic fluid to baby size. The baby is smaller, with high amount of fluid surrounding it, thus, there is so much space for it to move and play. Another explanation is the head to body ratio at this gestation. This allows the weightier areas to move down under the force of gravity. As the pregnancy grows and nears 36 week, the volume of amniotic fluid declines and the head to body ratio rises. This automatically turns the baby to a head-down position, except when there are other coexisting abnormalities such as fibroid, tumours, masses, multiple gestation (twins, triplets) and structural abnormalities of the womb, which may prevent the normal turning of the fetus.
However, it only becomes abnormal if after 36 weeks, it remains in any other position aside the heads-down position. Health workers often call it the breech presentation or malpresentation.
I was able to allay Mrs Sarumi's anxiety and counselled her to have a repeat USS at 36 weeks.
I saw her 2 months later. She came with an ultrasound scan report. I couldn't remember her face until she screamed "Doctor, my baby has finally turned".
Battle won! Sarumi junior is coming!

02/12/2023

CRITICAL AGE/WEIGHT FOR FERTILITY

She must be of age and weight; there is a critical weight and age for pregnancy, not as though one cannot be pregnant outside such, but for a good and positive pregnancy experience, the critical age and weight of 20 years and 45 kg is preached. This is essential for adequate nutritional reserve.
The bones and muscles of a growing child attain the adult status only around age 20 years. Malnutrition affects bone and tissue growth, and a major indicator of malnutrition is weight. A 20 year old lady less than 45 kilogrammes is most often malnourished, until proven otherwise.
Balanced nutrition is encouraged in female children and they should be allowed to grow fully before conceiving. The pelvic bones should be allowed to grow fully to the normal female pelvic contour and configuration. This is crucial for pregnancy and labor. Majority of underweight, malnourished and underage pregnant women, often have difficult labor, deliveries and most likely have surgical interventions to aid their delivery and save their lives and their babies’.
They often develop perineal tears, obstetric fistula, puerperal infections, perinatal morbidities and mortalities. This is a major contributor to maternal mortality, especially in developing countries. Another major problem of teenage pregnancy is gestational hypertension.

22/11/2023

Normal physiology and anatomy of the female body

The human body, at puberty, undergoes drastic changes ahead of marriage and pregnancy. It sets in order the mechanism essential to fertility and conception. Puberty is set in motion usually at about 8 - 13 years. It involves physical and emotional changes that can be exciting, as well as, challenging. Rather than dreading these changes, they should be appreciated as step stones to womanhood. The female body secretes s*x hormones in higher quantity which brings about several changes.

Pubertal changes include breast development, growth of p***c hair, maturation and growth of ge***al organs, onset of menstruation and fertility, fat distribution that brings the female body shape.
The female child may notice an onset of acne and increased sebum production. This may be a temporal condition, though may warrant further examination in some.

The pubertal period is a call for stricter hygiene and improved nutrition to allow the body adapt to these changes peacefully.

Adolescence overlaps with puberty, then adulthood sets in. The fertility of a female child is high during puberty and adolescence and as such, female teenagers and adolescents should be taught s*xual health education, have knowledge of contraception provided to them and abstinence promoted as much as possible.

It is also within this period that girls sense heightened s*xual urge and attraction to the opposite gender. Thus, there is a call on the older women and men to enlighten them on their reproductive capacity, even at such tender ages.

The frequency, duration, volume and abnormalities of menstruation should be understood. Abnormal symptoms may be an early indicator of diseases, even if irregular. It could also be a normal finding, especially when the body is adapting to puberty.

22/11/2023

In the coming weeks, we will be discussing the "NEED-KNOWS" before pregnancy; an exciting series.

02/10/2023

Yes, sir and ma.

01/10/2023

Obstetrics!

22/09/2023

Dating my Pregnancy

I think I am 7 months pregnant!.....
I can not remember the day I began my last me**es before I knew I was pregnant!......
How can I know how long I've gone?.....
My scans are giving me differing dates.......

My darling friends and counterparts in this 'pregnancy journey', help has come!
-Every woman of reproductive age should endeavour to keep a track of her me**es.
-Always record the first day of your me**es in a diary, or mark it on a calendar.
-Identify your last normal me**es; which is the last me**es that flowed just like every other me**es. Any me**es that had reduced flow or duration is likely not your normal menstrual flow.
-The first day of the last normal me**es is the landmark for calculating the date of your pregnancy; to know how long gone.
-A normal pregnancy duration is at most 40 weeks, equivalent to 280 days.
-Counting 280 days from the first day of your last normal me**es should give an estimated date of delivery in the pregnancy. However, it is not sacrosanct. Labor can start before or after the 40 weeks, though should not be more than 1 week from it, so as to reduce risk of fetal death in utero.
-When you count from the first day of your last me**es, dividing by 7, you get an estimated age of your pregnancy in week.
-In conditions of irregular me**es, use of contraceptive options prior pregnancy, coexisting uterine fibroids, these rules may not be applicable in calculating probable date of delivery and age of pregnancy. In such cases, trust your doctors and midwives to calculate them.

13/09/2023

High blood pressure in Pregnancy!

It can't be true!.... I have never had elevated blood pressure.... I don't think much nor do I stress myself!... How come I have high blood pressure? I reject it in .....

I've had to tolerate comments as these from pregnant women who are newly diagnosed of hypertension.
Hypertension in pregnancy is a new onset of elevated blood pressure at or above 140/90 mmHg in the second half of pregnancy. It is occurrence of hypertension in a woman who has never been pregnant.
It occurs usually as a result of abnormalities with placenta development in the first half of pregnancy.
So, it is usually not your fault. It's not a curse nor a gimmick of hospital staff to admit you and make money.
As it is usually related to the placenta, it often resolves as soon as pregnancy ends. So, in most cases, your new hypertension diagnosis resolves once you deliver or just within six weeks of your delivery. However, in certain cases, it does not resolve and transits to chronic hypertension. If improperly managed, it may progress to renal damage as well as involvement of other organs in the body. It may even affect the fetus (baby) as much as 'death'.
The key to good management, prevention of complications or sequelae and possibly total resolution of elevated blood pressure is COMPLIANCE.
Comply to advices, medications, lifestyle adjustments and clinic visits.