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To Avoid Prostate Issues
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Dr. FELICITA OGBU Explains
Odirachukwumma Felicita Augustine Nee Ogbu is a Doctor, who has her sights set on becoming an Endocrinologist in a few months. She is presently a General Medical Practioner, based in Hungary.
She is a native of Ugbawka in Nkanu LGA, Enugu State, and married in Anambra State.
She attended her primary school at Good News Primary Nkpor Agu Anambra State, went to secondary school Osisatech Girl’s School Enugu and attended the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, where she had her first degree in Vet Medicine but transferred to Ukraine where she did another BSc in medicine and surgery and graduated 2017.
She also had a course program in nutrition and disease between 2018 and 2019 as well as Sexology and Care in 2019.
She is the CEO of Neon Empire Ltd Company, a company that is into Restaurants, Clothing, Exchange, Travel and Tours.
A few days back, City People Journalist, BENPRINCE EZEH (08068599879) had a chat with her just a day after her traditional wedding at her place in Enugu and she explained what some men lack in getting their wives pregnant. Below are the excerpts from the chat.
What’s your speciality?
General medicine, but still studying Endocrinology. I would soon be an endocrinologist. But now, general practitioner.
Can you explain what endocrinology is all about?
From the name, endocrinology is a speciality in the endocrine system. Endocrine is like a gland in our body. We have endocrine glands, and the main function is, they produce the hormones we use in our body.
So, these doctors specialize in hormone-related diseases. Hormones in the body, for example, we have testosterone. We have oestrogen. We have follicle-stimulating hormone. We have luteinizing hormone. We have prolactin and so many others.
These kinds of hormones, what do they do?
First of all, human beings cannot survive without hormones. Why did I say so? For instance, testosterone, any man that doesn’t have testosterone cannot be a man. That is the main sex hormone of a man. For women, it’s oestrogen. So, without these things, you cannot perform, fully be a woman. Any man that has low testosterone, will have a low sex drive, cannot pregnant a woman, and so on. Everything concerning sexual activities will be low and will be diminished. Likewise, that of a woman. When you have low oestrogen, or you don’t even produce at all, then you cannot function properly, or fully, sexually, and every other thing. Even for some people who start earlier, their primary development as a woman will not occur.
If someone has this particular hormone short in his system, how can it be treated?
This thing is a hormone, and luckily, we have hormone replacement therapy. So, when the testosterone is low, you give testosterone, the ones that are produced, you give them replacement therapy. When you have low oestrogen, you’ll be giving oestrogen, and likewise, others. When you have low FSH and low luteinizing hormone, you have drugs that help to increase it.
With the rate of men suffering from Prostate cancer, how can one avoid it or what are the things to do to avoid prostate cancer?
Well, first of all, the prostate gland is in every man’s body, it has a function also when it comes to sexual activities and for a man’s reproduction. So, it is advised that every man that is of age, like 35 years and above, should always and constantly check on this particular gland called prostate. Now, there are so many things that could cause prostatitis, which is inflammation of the prostate. That is what is called, that this person has an enlarged prostate. So, there are so many things that could cause it. It could just be an inflammation, it could be old age, it could be an infection, it could be trauma. So, all you need to do is if you don’t have a problem if your prostate is not inflamed before this certain age, then you need to go to the hospital. Maybe if you noticed, like it’s inflamed, you need to go to the hospital. First, the doctors need to find out the cause by checking, and a prostate test is being done through the rectum. We do a test to see how much enlarged it is. Then when you confirm that it’s enlarged, the next thing we should do is to differentiate if it is Benign or Cancerous. That is when it’s called prostate cancer. It is now confirmed that most of the inflamed prostate are cancerous. But we can’t say for certain, we only conclude when we have done a biopsy test. Before we do the biopsy test, something that will prompt you as a doctor to send for a biopsy test is when you check for the PSA level.
What’s the meaning of PSA?
PSA is like what doctors use in checking what could have caused the inflamed prostate. You just check for the PSA level. This PSA level, when it’s above 2, then as a doctor, quickly, you should be able to take a biopsy, which is like a tissue. We take tissue from that particular organ and send it to a biopsy lab to confirm if it is cancerous or not. But other things could cause, make PSA level to be above, like 4, 3, which are what I mentioned previously; infection, trauma, inflammation, and the rest. So once you send them to the lab, and then if you confirm it’s cancerous, then the next thing is to advise the patient for the next treatment, which most of them is for you to do prostatectomy. That is removal if it is cancerous. After the removal, then the next is to do chemotherapy.
When you remove that particular prostate from that person’s body, if it’s cancerous, would the patient still be able to produce or have an erection or would it result in Erectile dysfunction, ED?
Yeah, it will result in erectile dysfunction because as said earlier prostate helps in the production and movement of semen. You should be checking. Just like we ladies are being advised to always check for their cervix, it’s very important. Ladies have to check it often. Once you are of age, like 30 years, it’s one of the things that you should check at least twice a year, or even once a year.
Is it true that for a man to avoid prostate cancer, he should be having sex at least 21 times a month?
Yes, it is. A study confirmed that it’s important to partake in sexual activity often to avoid this. But all I know is that the use of hormones in your body helps in regulating your body system. When a particular hormone does its function and is not dormant, especially the sex hormones, which are for sexual activities, should be made use of, because it helps to relax one’s nerves and brain. it’s not only for men, ladies inclusive.
Women with just one functional fallopian tube find it difficult to conceive, what causes it? And how can it be treated or avoided?
I would say right now that it’s more of an environmental factor. The way we live our lives right now. Back then, our parents didn’t experience this kind of thing. But in the world now, there are so many things that are not normal. There are so many abnormal things that we do even as a lady. We smoke a lot. We eat non-balanced diet food. I mean, we eat more of fast food. For a lady to cook at home and cook good food is always difficult, they want to eat pizza, they want to eat burgers, they want to eat shawarma, they want to eat sausage, and ice cream, and then drink a lot of alcohol. All these things are gradually affecting our reproductive system. So, I would say that it’s more of the kind of life we live at this moment.
Does infection contribute to that?
Yes, it does.
What are the ways to treat them?
Firstly, you need to find out if your fallopian tube is blocked. If it is an infection, you treat the infection, whatever the problem is, just treat it early to avoid it escalating to something that you would find difficult to treat. Get a Gynaecologist to manage you. If your interest is to take in, they know the best way to manage it. If one is blocked, they try another one. If nothing can be done, you can try In vitro fertilization, IVF.
