What causes allergies?

I tested HIV+ recently but the doctor said he cannot confirm the diagnosis until I test again after three months. Should I trust the result or not?

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,
The only way to know for sure whether one has HIV infection is to get tested for it. The time between when a person may have been exposed to HIV and when a test can tell for sure whether they have HIV is called the window period.
The window period varies from person to person and depends on the type of test used to detect HIV. Antibody tests such as the ones used in Uganda may take 23 to 90 days to reliably detect HIV infection. This is the reason doctors ask you to come back after three months to be tested again. A person may be negative yet he is infected because he has been tested in the window period. But if tested again after three months, he may be found to be positive. If the second test is negative then he is not HIV infected.
HIV tests are highly sensitive and may result in HIV false positive results requiring one to do a follow up test.

If the follow up test is negative then the first test may have been a false positive test but if positive then one is definitely HIV-positive.

What causes allergies?

I have been married for 12 years but never have I got a running nose because of perfumes. Why all of a sudden?
Jean

Dear Jean,
It is possible that you are developing unexpected reactions to your husband’s usual or newer perfumes.

Perfumes are made up of many different volatile chemicals which a woman can react to.

Women have a better smell sense than men which is highest at ovulation but this does not mean they react more to perfumes than men.

Reactions to perfumes are commoner in women at certain times including when they are pregnant.

It is possible that you may be pregnant and you are not aware because pregnancy in a bid to protect the unborn child from dangerous substances may make you get irritated in order to avoid them.
Please discuss with your partner your problem so that he either stops using the perfumes or takes you for a pregnancy test.

When I ejaculate, my semen is like water. Can I make a woman pregnant or if I grow it will be better and cause pregnancy?
Oscar, 16 years

Dear Oscar,
There may be a normal variation in semen depending on age, how often one ejaculates and state of hydration among others.
As a man ages the semen gets thicker, less in volume and may turn a bit yellow. More liquid semen does not necessarily mean it has less sperms to cause fertilisation.
Semen is usually watery at ejaculation but gets thick immediately afterwards to protect sperms from vaginal acidity as the sperms absorb sugar from semen to help them swim towards the fallopian tubes to cause fertilisation and pregnancy. The semen then becomes liquid within 30 minutes after ejaculation to release sperms to start their swimming journey.
Checking semen many minutes after ejaculation may show that it is more liquid, the reason why it does not usually flow out of a woman after sex but a few minutes afterwards.
The proof of fertility is not the colour or consistency of semen but rather, in making a woman pregnant.