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Questions and Answers
Dr Peter Chew, Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist, Chairman of the Board of ALife, answers some frequently asked questions. The questions are listed in alphabetical order of the highlighted key word/phrase. Click an alphabet from the menu below to see a listing of the corresponding questions. To see the answer, click the icon preceding the corresponding question. You can click another icon to read the answer to that question, or click the icon to close the answer box, or select and click another alphabet.
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What is thalassemia? How does it affect the baby? What are the symptoms?
How is it treated?
Thalassemia is a group of inherited (passed from parents to children) blood
disorders that can cause mild to severe anemia (lack of blood).
For complete answers, please see Thalassemia.
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I have a tilted womb. Could this be the cause that I could not conceive?
The womb or uterus is sandwiched between the bladder and the large intestine (please see
diagram in female reproductive system).
It can be "retroverted" (i.e. tilted backward towards the back) or "anteverted" (i.e. tilted
forward towards the bladder). Neither uterine position would, in and of itself, interfere
with fertility.
Most women have a slightly anteverted uterus; about one in four or five women have a
retroverted uterus. However, some women may have a retroverted uterus because of
endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease. In both
cases, scar tissues pulled the uterus backward and reduce the mobility of the womb. This
may cause pain during sexual intercourse and could interfere with the normal movement of
the egg through the fallopian tubes, thus decreasing the chance of getting pregnant by
preventing the egg from reaching the sperm
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A friend told me that the triple test can detect Down's syndrome. What is it?
Triple blood test is a test of a set of 3 substances (alpha-fetoprotein, HCG and Oestriol) in
the blood of the pregnant mother. It is usually done around the early stage of second trimester
(about 14 to 18 weeks of pregnancy). It is a screening and not a diagnostic test. In other
words, a positive result does not mean that the baby definitely has Down's syndrome; rather
that further test such as amniocentesis is necessary to reach a conclusive diagnosis. A
negative test does not mean that the baby is perfectly healthy
Click here to read more about Down's syndrome.
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What is "tie the tubes"? I heard from my friend that it can cause many
side effects including loss of interest in sexual intercourse. Is it true?
"Tie the tubes" or
tubal ligation is a procedure in which the female is sterilized.
It is an operation that blocks the fallopian tubes; this means the egg can
no longer be fertilized by the sperm through sexual intercourse.
Except in rare instances, tubal ligation is 99.9% effective. It fails if the
tubes that have been cut join up later on. Patient can get pregnant immediately
or several years after a failed ligation. In this situation, there is increased
chance of ectopic
pregnancy.
The procedure is meant to be permanent, although it can be reversed by means
of microscopic surgery. There is no guarantee of success.
There are usually no long-term side effects. Occasionally, patients may have
heavier or irregular menstruation. There is no evidence that having it affects
the sexual drive.
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I had an ectopic pregnancy and one of my fallopian tubes was removed. Is it possible to
get pregnant with only one fallopian tube?
You can still get pregnant with only one fallopian tube as long as your ovaries
still ovulate.
Normally, the ovary releases a single egg each month. The egg meets the sperm in
the fallopian tube, where it is fertilized. The fertilized egg then continues its
journey to the uterus and gets implanted. Only one fallopian tube is required for
this to happen.
The egg released from the ovary usually enters the fallopian tube adjacent to
that ovary. Although medical evidence suggests that an egg released from one
ovary can be transported through the fallopian tube of the opposite side, this is
not common.
As you have only one fallopian tube left and it may be partially blocked, your
fertility may be reduced. There is also increased risk of
tubal pregnancy.
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