According to the recent update (2002) from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.A): General recommendations on immunization, inactivated or live vaccines administered to a breast feeding mother DO NOT affect the safety of the mother and the child. The benefits of vaccinations outweigh the small, hypothetical risk. In fact, some studies indicate that breastfeeding can help in improving the immune response to certain vaccine. Breastfed babies should be vaccinated according to the recommended schedules. Although live vaccine cells multiply within the mother's body, the majority have not been shown to be excreted in the breast milk. Although rubella vaccine virus might be excreted in human milk, the virus usually does not infect the baby. Even if infection does occurs, it is well tolerated as the viruses are attenuated.

There are 2 types of vaginal discharge, normal and abnormal. Normal discharge is odorless, whitish, slightly yellow stain immediately before and after menses, slippery, transparent and stretchable around the middle of cycle. Abnormal discharge is usually excessive, can be smelly with bad odor and not related to anytime of the cycle. It may be blood stained with red, brown or black discoloration. The private parts may be swollen red and itchy. Common causes include fungal infection, sexually transmitted diseases including parasite (trichomonas) and AIDS. It may also be an early symptom of cancer of the neck of womb (cervix). You should consult your gynecologist to find out the cause and treat accordingly.
Personal hygiene:

1. Without medical consultation, do not douche the vagina (birth canal) or apply cream, spray or powder to the private parts.
2. After bathing, urinating or passing motion, try to wipe the private parts gently from front to the back and keep dry.
3. Do not wear tight jeans or undergarments. Cotton is the most suitable material.

You may like to come to our centre where we have instructor to help you identify the fertile period of your menstrual cycle by charting your vaginal discharge. In the mean time, you may also like to visit our web page on vaginal discharge.

Please see web page on vaginismus for answers.

Varicocoele is a collection of dilated veins that sits above the testis usually on the left side. This is bad for sperms as it brings a large amount of blood into the vicinity where the sperms are being produced. This will raise the temperature of the testis and the extra heat will cause impaired sperm production and maturation .The shape and size of the sperm (morphology) and sperm motility will then be affected.
When a man has a significant varicocoele, surgery is recommended to tie off these veins and block the flow of this extra blood around the testicles. There are different approaches to tying off these veins. The newest and most effective is a microsurgical repair, which is performed through a small groin incision, under a surgical microscope. It is a very safe operation and is usually effective. This usually works to improve the sperm count, the motility, and morphology for most men. However, its place is not universally accepted in the medical world.

Male sterilization, or vasectomy, is a surgical procedure that involves cutting and tying the 2 tubes called vas that carry sperm from the testicles to the seminal vesicles.
Please see web page vasectomy for details.

If you are eating a healthy diet, there is no need for you to take vitamin supplement apart from folic acid. Taking folic acid before pregnancy can reduce the risk of having baby suffering defects in the nervous system such as spina bifida. Current medical advice is that all women of child-bearing age who is trying to conceive should take a supplement that provides 400mcg folic acid per day. This is in addition to a dietary intake of folic acid of around 200mcg per day. Rich dietary sources of folic acid include fortified breakfast cereals, bread, green leafy vegetables, oranges, peas and lentils.
There are possible risks from taking excessive amounts of vitamins from supplements especially taking 'mega-vitamins' - extremely high doses which are supposed to have specific health benefits but which can be very dangerous. Most risky are the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E), while taking very large amounts of water-soluble vitamins rarely causes toxic effects because these vitamins are simply washed out in the urine. However, adverse reactions to Vitamin C and Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) have been reported.
Specific risks for Vitamin A overdose include nausea, headache, appetite loss, skin changes and irregular periods. In extreme cases there may be liver damage. Vitamin A is also toxic to the baby. It can cause abnormalities in the unborn child if taken by a pregnant woman in high doses.
Excessive amounts of Vitamin D can cause thirst, muscle weakness, stomach upsets, kidney stones.
High doses of Vitamin E can cause stomach upsets and abdominal pain, and disruption of absorption of other fat soluble vitamins into the body.
Overdoses of vitamin B6 can cause nerve damage and high doses of vitamin C, more than 1 gram a day, can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea and kidney stones.

The vulva or private part is the area between the legs of a female. It includes the two folds of skin called labia majora and labia minora. At the tip of the labia minora sit the clitoris, a small pea-like structure equivalent to penis in the male. The clitoris is very sensitive and becomes turgid and swollen when sexually stimulated. There are 3 openings in the vulva. At the top is the urethra. This is where the urine comes out. The second opening is the vagina, the largest of the three. It is the place where the male insert the penis during sexual intercourse. It is also the passage for menstrual flow and where baby comes out at birth. The last opening is anus, the passage for passing out stools