FemmeFocus Junction

  The question of how long a woman should wait before becoming pregnant is something we encounter every day when we see pregnant women in our antenatal clinics. I always like to clarify family planning and pap smear on the first visit. These things may be forgotten after the baby is born and the mothers tend to neglect them. A lot of the patients often miss their six-week post-partum visits and we might not get a chance to counsel them on contraception and perform a pap smear. The WHO advises women to wait at least 24 months between childbirth and a new pregnancy. This is more applicable if the mother has a complicated pregnancy or a caesarean delivery. According to a study published in the Lancet Regional Health using data from more than 4.7 live births in Brazil, there tend to be various cases. in cases with shorter pregnancy intervals a lot of the time the mother’s body has not completely bounced back to its normal state and if the mother is breastfeeding there may be an ele...

  I had a happy childhood. There were many people around, a lot of love and support. If I had to look back into the house where I was born and raised, there would be many sweet memories. My grandparents, my uncle, my mom, and my dad were a great part of it. We had a three-story house. Grandparents were at the lower story and we were at the top part. When my brother was born I was about five years old and grandma and grandpa provided a lot of support as I was growing up. Grandma who was a teacher, would help me with my homework. I was quite clumsy and lost a lot of my stationary at school. They would ensure that we always had a storage full of pencils, coloured pencils, etc.   Uncle was often busy with his things but we would watch TV together, I would watch him do his artistic sketching and Painting or him playing his ancient musical instrument. We would also go for a drive in the evenings and have some ice cream or nice street food. I had a brief 3-year stay in South Africa...

  Women’s Day in South Africa is celebrated on the 9 th of August every year. This day commemorates the 1956 march of approximately 20,000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. This march was led by four women, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, Sophie Williams, and Lilian Ngoyi. They were protesting against the Apartheid regime’s passbook laws. They were part of the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) and demanded equal rights and end discrimination against women. The March was a significant event in South Africa’s history, making it a turning point in the fight against apartheid and gender inequality. We have come very far, but we still face many challenges concerning women's well-being and working conditions in society. According to the latest statistics about two-thirds of the global maternal mortality cases occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. This shows the lack of access to essential reproductive health services, antenatal care, safe childbirth, and contraception. The sad tru...

 What was going through my mind when I decided to study medicine?  I was a book warm, doing well in high school and getting good grades. I did not have any doctors in close family members to speak to and understand what lies in the future. I am enjoying what I do every day, besides compassion, developing skills, and unwavering dedication there are other wonderful things about what I do. I appreciate having an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. I enjoy working with women and I try to care for the whole person and not just parts of a person’s health. The bond that is formed with patients and their trust in me is invaluable. Being an ob-gyn we often perform numerous caesarean sections and gynaecological surgeries. Witnessing the tangible results of the surgical intervention and rehabilitation of patients who had severe pain, abnormal bleeding or urinary symptoms is very rewarding. The evolution from postoperative pain to recovery and beyond, complemented by the...