What causes pain in the lower abdomen?

My wife is three months pregnant and is experiencing pains in the lower abdomen. What could be the cause? Could it be fibroids because she was told she had them before conceiving? Do you think her pregnancy is safe?
— Daniel.G

Dear Daniel: Pain in the lower abdomen could be from any cause including constipation and urinary tract infections common in pregnancy. It is usually due to the expanding uterus because of the growing pregnancy.
Harmless as this may seem to be, you need to visit your doctor to rule out a pregnancy developing outside of the normal womb, say in the fallopian tubes.

Fibroids are non-cancerous swellings that develop in a womb of a woman during her reproductive years and therefore may be found in a pregnant woman. Since in the majority of women they cause no symptoms, they may be found accidentally for the first time during pregnancy. That said, some pregnant women may experience minor symptoms, including lower abdominal pain.
Though many people worry that fibroids grow rapidly during pregnancy due to a rise in levels of female hormones; this actually is not always the case. Those that grow tend to return to their pre-pregnancy size after delivery.

Fibroids, however, can cause uncomfortable feelings of heaviness as they press on nearby structures, and may cause sharp pain in the lower back and legs if nerves are compressed.
Rarely, fibroids may enlarge rapidly outstripping their blood supply (red degeneration) and bleeding in its middle causing lots of pain but this tends to occur in the second trimester.
The most common problem with fibroids in pregnancy is delivering two to three weeks early, (the premature baby usually survives and therefore this is of little threat to the baby), recurrent miscarriages (rarely before 24 weeks of pregnancy) and partial blockage of the lower part of the womb requiring delivery by caesarean section.

Why do I sweat a lot at night?

I sweat at night and the pillow gets wet. I have no fever or other problems. I checked malaria, TB, thyroid gland disease and complete blood count (CBC) but everything was normal.
— D.M.

Dear D.M: We sweat in order to cool down. The body generates heat itself and even more heat when we are more active say, when doing physical exercises. Also, the body may take in heat if the surroundings are hot. Sometimes we do not notice we are sweating because the sweat quickly evaporates off the skin. Night sweating is usual if the night is hot and air is humid. So, if there has been some weather change one can sweat the night away. That said, at night when we rest the body is less active and it cools down many times with noticeable night sweating.

Bacterial infections including tuberculosis may cause night sweating, the reason TB was checked. Brucellosis, HIV infection, bone infection, and some cancers (blood cancer leukaemia or Hodgkin’s lymphoma) can lead to night sweats and for good measure a complete blood count (CBC) was done. Malaria, menopause, thyroid disease medications and anxiety commonly lead to night sweats. It is true that sometimes even after a thorough check up the cause of sweating may not be found and lifestyle in some cases (including alcohol intake) may be to blame.

Am I allergic to my wife?

Every day when I sleep with my wife even without having sex, my body starts itching, especially the parts that touch her. I have kept quiet because I fear to spoil my relationship with her. I have not seen a doctor because I am embarrassed. Before I married her, this never happened. What can I do?
— Sam Ali

Dear Sam Ali: Scratching the skin usually results from a skin itch. Itching is usually due to an allergic reaction. The reaction happens to the part that gets in contact with your spouse could be due to her sweat, her body applications including perfumes, toilet soaps or body lotions or even hair applications. It is true that some men can react to vaginal fluids just as some women can react to semen but this affects the parts exposed to the said fluids.

It is likely that if your spouse took a thorough bath with non-perfumed soap just before bed and avoided skin lotions or perfumes before bed this could help out. If this does not help, it could be the sweat that you are reacting to. Then she requires to avoid accumulation of sweat on her skin by bathing regularly and also checking what she eats or drinks or even the drugs she takes that are likely to appear in the sweat and cause problems.
For all these lifestyle changes to happen, you need to reveal your problem to your spouse and this is better done by your doctor in her presence. There are also drugs your doctor may give your to mitigate your problem. I hope you are not thinking of abandoning your spouse yet your problem can be dealt with medically.

Can an adult suffer from chicken pox?

Dear Doctor: I have blisters and a very high fever. The doctor says it is chicken pox. I am 35 years old. Can an adult suffer from chicken pox? If so, can I spread it to others?
— Opio J

Dear Martha: Chickenpox, caused by the varicella-zoster virus is a very contagious disease. The virus spreads easily to those who have never had the disease or (like in countries where they immunise against chicken pox) those who have never received the chickenpox vaccine. The virus spreads in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes or by touching or breathing in the virus particles that come from chickenpox blisters. Chickenpox can also be spread from people with shingles locally known as kisipi.
Because chicken pox is very common in children and an infection usually gives lifelong immunity, in Uganda it is usually a disease of children but still adults who have never suffered from it or have immunity problems like those suffering from HIV infection can get it.

A person with chickenpox can spread the disease from one to two days before they get the blisters, and it takes from 10 to 21 days after exposure for a person to develop chicken pox, one may not trace the source. The infection can also spread until all their chickenpox blisters have formed scabs.
Chicken pox, apart from causing blisters on the skin, can be accompanied by headache, fever and cough among others. Most children with chickenpox completely recover but it can be serious especially babies and people with weakened immune systems.