The Nation Newspaper

Tag: women

  • ‘Women should help and not snare’

    ‘Women should help and not snare’

    Affirmative Action has always been canvassed for women over the years. However, the figures of women in leadership positions appear to be dwindling.
    In this report by Yetunde Oladeinde, women from different spheres of life gathered recently at the Wheat Baker Hotel in Lagos to x-ray the problems hindering women from getting to leadership positions and boards and how to chart a way forward.

    IT’S a Thursday morning and the setting is the Wheat Baker Hotel with women of ‘timber and calibre’. The list included Prof Remi Sonaiya, Hairat Balogun, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Erelu Angela Adebayo, Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu, Dr Doyin Abiola, Yemisi Ransome Kuti, Prof Chioma Agomoh, Hon. Rafikat Onabamiro and Professor Ibiyemi Tunji Bello as participants from different sector of the economy.

     The roundtable organised by Women Advocates and Research (WARDC) and supported by the Cosmopolitan Ladies, on the role of professional women in supporting women’s participation in leadership, politics and governance.

    Abiola Akiyode Afolabi, the founding director of WARDC, gave her welcome remark and a preamble on the focus of the roundtable. “Over the years, the organisation has spearheaded initiatives aimed at improving women political participation and representation.”

    This was followed by Derin Disu, vice president of the Cosmopolitan Women Club, who gave an overview of the mission of the organisation and some of the initiatives handled in this regard.

    At this point, Professor Ibiyemi Tunji Bello, the former deputy Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), went on to identify the roles women have played and can play to bring about positive changes in the society.

     “As women, we can play a variety of roles in politics, leadership as voters, members of political parties, card-carrying members, candidates, office holders, members of cabinets and also as members of the civil society. Women have a right to join politics and seek political office. However, research has shown that women are barely represented in leadership positions except in organisations working on gender and issues affecting women.”

    From this point, the guest speaker, Erelu Adebayo, former First Lady of Ekiti State, and other panelists began to identify the problems inhibiting women from participating as well as proffered solutions to chart a way forward. “The number of hats I have had to wear has actually brought me to this position where I can talk on the matter. In the public sector, I think I am a defacto politician because if you marry a politician, it takes over your life, it subsumes you and there is nothing else. As for governance, if you are married to a governor, you are in governance. You are the one he talks to in the evenings and you have become someone who has worked in government and, actually, you are a little more objective as you sit back and watch them all day.”

    She added: “There is also the corporate side to the topic and subsequent to leaving government house, I have been Chairman, WEMABOD, Chairman Afriland Properties, member, board of Dangote Foundation and many more. And in all of them, I am the only woman and it makes me think that I am the token woman. I am so happy to be here today to encourage more women. Magazines like FORBES say that when a woman is at the helm of an organisation, it does better. Even when men want to patronise us, they tell us that we can do better. So, why is it that women are not playing the role they are supposed to play?”

    Adebayo continued: “I would like to say that we do have remarkable women in Nigeria. I went online, found a hundred women leaders in alphabetical order running the gamut of leadership, politics, creatives and so many women making a difference in so many spheres of life.  Interestingly, I found that in the world, we are not doing as badly as I thought. In Australia, it is 2.7 per cent and the highest is in Canada which has 47.2 per cent.”

    She went on to inform that “in the national grid of women all over the world, hardly any has hit the desired 33 per cent of women on boards by 2019. In 2016, at the International Women’s Day’s in Abuja, we were told that article 42 of the Nigerian Constitution; we are guaranteed the right of representation on the ground of sex. So, we have the legislation, nothing is stopping us and we have to look within ourselves to justify what we are going to do about the situation. In Nigeria, we seem to have gone forward and backwards. In 2007 election, of all the gender policy advice of 35 per cent, we occupied 7.5 per cent for women’s leadership positions. The Yar Adua Administration promised 30 per cent, but according to Action AIDs report, they gave us 11 per cent. Interestingly, the Goodluck Jonathan Administration gave us 33 per cent and what has happened now in this present administration is back to 19 per cent.”

    The former first lady talked about the situation in the private sector. “Here, WIMBIZ has done a lot of work on this that reveals that only one in every eight boards is headed by a woman in Africa. 14.4 per cent of the blue chip companies in Africa have women and in Nigeria it is 11.5 per cent. So, ladies, it is still the same old boy’s network. Theresa May has been recognised in UK, there is Lagarde in IMF, if Hilary Clinton wins, that is America. Then we have Scotland, we have Australia, Germany but how many in Africa?”

    The problem in Nigeria, Adebayo traced to stereotyping and the fact that those who make it are often tokens. “Let’s go back to the political arena; every political party should have a woman and she usually bears the title, woman leader. Why don’t they have a man leader? The other position is welfare and while the meeting is going on, she is likely to be packing jollof rice and all that.”

    On her part, Dr Doyin Abiola who has been around for a while, opined that women have done the talking for so long, yet there hasn’t been much result. “I think we need to change the approach. We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. All of us here should love ourselves. If something is happening to one of us, we must try to help and not just snare. I have been wondering, how we can overcome the problems?”

     The men, Dr Abiola stressed, have exactly the same problems that women have, somehow they get on. “They get angry with one another but quickly they close ranks. Let us love each other. When something is happening to one of us, let’s not be judgmental. If you need to make some contact, you can do it without her asking you. Be a busy body for a good cause. We should also change the way we train the girl child; my granddaughter is as sharp as a needle. These are innocuous things but they are very important. We must have a ready action group; let’s make it a vision that is worthwhile.”

  • Menopause in women/men: Solutions to the disquiet of middle age (4)

    This article will deal with treatment of menopause in women and tough upon male “menopause”.

    The main symptom of menopause in women is hot flushes (see earlier articles). This symptom of hot flushes can be corrected with the hormone that is so deficient in women at their mid-ages. Doctors, based upon clinical assessment, may prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which comes indifferent formulations. Some can be taken by mouth as a daily pill similar to contraceptive pill. A note of warning is warranted here.

    HRT is not a contraception or an anti-pregnancy pill. Women should still take precaution so as not to get pregnant. Please note that this statement does not mean that a woman’s fertility has returned with us of HRT. It’s not so. HRT can also be taken as a patch or vagina cream.

    While on HRT, women that have not had hysterectomy (removal of the womb), may resume having regular menstrual periods. Again, this is not an indication that fertility has been restored. The menstrual period is just the consequence of the way the HRT works. HRT may be continued for up to five years.

    HRT is not without risk. Anyone with the history of breast cancer, blood clotting, severe liver disease, undiagnosed vaginal bleeding and pregnancy should not take HRT. The HRT here is a combined hormones of estrogen and progesterone.

    For women who have had their womb removed, they may use a different form of HRT: estrogen. In all, because of the risks, women intending on using HRT should consult their doctor for guidance before commencing usage.

    Vaginal dryness leading to difficult sex may be relieved with either a lubricating cream, such as KY jelly or estrogen cream. Urinary symptoms may also be relieved by HRT. Low sexual drive that is not helped by HRT may respond to male hormone testosterone.

    Risk of bone fractures, which occurs in one in 20 women undergoing menopause, can also benefit from HRT or a non-hormone treatment. However, good nutrition rich in vitamins, vitamin D and calcium, cautiously taken, may reduce fractures.

    For those that HRT is not suitable for, there are alternatives. If mental health deteriorates during perimenopuase and menopause,  doctors will take appropriate measures to solve the problem. The woman should receive counselling and education of the changes in her body. This is cheaper.

    The key issue is not to deny one’s suffering nor refuse to see a doctor. Distress and disquiet brought about by perimenopause or menopause is not just a “woman’s thing” and neither should women suffer in silence!

     

    ‘Menopause’ in men

    True, men do not have menstrual periods. Therefore, the term ‘male menopause’ is controversial. The claim of male menopause is still been researched on.

    Yet, there are some features in men who are in their mid-ages, which lead to the suspicion that they may also be experiencing what women do. These include: tiredness, weakness, depression and sexual problems, such as loss of libido, erectile dysfunction; impotence or ejaculatory problems – called mid-life crises which may come with career changes.

    Essentially, it has been observed that in their mid-ages, men do have low testosterone and, like women, a boost in their hormone levels may actually improve these symptoms.

    Notably, unlike in women, who may experience failure in their ovaries to produce follicles and estrogen, men’s testes do not stop producing sperms and testosterone. Rather, men may continue to produce sperms well into their late 80s, though subtle changes do occur in the testes in some men who are 50.

    Men experiencing fatigue, depression, erectile dysfunction, low sex drive should, therefore, seek medical help. Investigations in the laboratory may not yield much as the changes in men are not as dramatic as in women. The doctor may, nonetheless, undertake an examination to exclude any faults.

     

    Treatment

    While controversial is not without its benefits, what I call male HRT may also help. This may  consist of giving a measure of testosterone. It should be noted that giving artificial testosterone carries its risk; therefore caution should be exercised.

    In summary, women experience menopause and I will urge those suffering from fluctuations in their hormone levels from 40 in some and 45 – 52 years in others should seek help and not be subdued by cultural considerations. Discomfort and disquiet should not be accepted. Similar advice is applicable to men.

  • Love letter to gallant Kenyan women

    It is an old story which expectedly, won’t leave the social media circuit. It is the story of Kenyan women who took to the streets to protest their husbands’ underperformance and inability to get them pregnant.

    A touchy bed bedroom matter you would say, but some perspectives: first, it will amount to an over-generalisation to describe them as Kenyan women as stories have conveniently headlined. They are actually a section of women from a county known as Limuru, Kiambu. So it is not a country-wide phenomenon (unless more facts unfold to prove one wrong); not even country-wide.

    Having made that important clarification, the grouse of the women is that because their husbands imbibe too much alcohol, their ability to perform at optimum in bed as well as the other important function of getting them pregnant may have been impaired.

    Pressing the point further, they noted that married women abound in the county but only few are pregnant. And the problem is with both the young and old they claim, threatening to relocate to another county if nothing was done to assuage their obvious conjugal woes. For solution, they recommend that government should make strict laws to curtail their men’s binging on alcohol to certain hours during week days and weekend.

    This uprising actually took place late last year but it remains in the front burner because the issues raised are deep (no pun please), universal and I dare say, pervasive. Some Nigerian men have been talking like Don Juan in the social media, threatening to invade Kenya and give succour to the aching women. But I wager that that may be sheer braggadocio. I wager again that the average Kenyan fella is no different from his Nigerian brother in every material particular. We shall return to this later.

    One is inclined to see these women as heroines for taking to the highways, what is considered a bedroom taboo. These Kenyan women are truly stars of a new narrative having bucked the trend to voice their frustrations against what is obviously an incipient penile tragedy looming across Africa and the emerging worlds.

    One cannot help but love and admire the courage of these gallant amazons who have exhibited characteristic Masaiac courage in standing up, defying African tradition to highlight what might well be the new scourge afflicting the modern African man. Challenging what looks like a looming matrimonial atrophy.

    It is said that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. But let’s tweak that a little to say, there is no fury like a woman aroused and left unfulfilled. In fact it may well be better to scorn a woman by not starting at all than to leave her mid-sea. This I believe is the contention of these brave women. Why take a wife and bond her under your roof if you are not man enough at your conjugal duties? They are simply demanding for their men to man-up in the bedroom and stop sabotaging it all with excessive booze. A wife of course has a fundamental right to love and sex from her legally married husband. A full-fledged woman (and have you seen a typical Kenyan woman in her prime?) in a freshly consummated matrimony cannot ask for anything less than a regimen of steamy, intimate sessions which should culminate into a baby bulge in the shortest possible time. This is not too much to ask.

    Imagine the trauma and psychological agony of the denial of this matrimonial entitlement; and out of no genuine reason than male foolishness and waywardness. And you expect the other person to live and die in mind-bending silence? So protest may well be some form of therapy.

    Inebriating the mind, body and soul from the Central, down to the South and East of Africa, it is a well known fact that since the post-colonial era of the 60s, alcohol consumption has remained an issue. Many writers of these regions have highlighted it in their works. One such is Meja Mwangi who in Going Down River Road paints a grim picture of independent Africa covered in dusty poverty and suffused with cheap alcohol. The kind of liquor that chews the guts and damages the soul, not to mention libido.

    But these gallant Kenyan women may have rekindled a light and someday soon, Africa just might begin to pay attention to the effects of alcohol on the continent. Because the African man is of innate physical strength, he could imbibe heavily for a long spell of his life without his system being impaired. But this may be changing as modern living takes its toll.

    The hitherto redoubtable African stud is giving way to an effete mulatto nourished on junk-ish Macdonald’s fries and ersatz rice from Asia. Today’s African man bred on processed food is less vital than his father and even less so, his grand father. Yet he consumes even more alcohol today due to the stress of modern living. Of course too much alcohol bugs down his organs, wears his muscles and causes much lethargy to his libido. And don’t forget the new scourge of the African man, his withering prostrate gland.

    Like Kenya, like Nigeria. It may well be the same problem with Nigeria but because the Kenyan women are upfront and less inhibited, they have forged a noble coalition against their drunken husbands. There is, however, evidence of heavy drinking in Nigeria too. In the last decade, Nigerian men may have been imbibing more alcohol and performance enhancing drinks more than ever. From beers to spirits, wines, energy drinks and even wild, local concoctions.

    In the last five years, there has emerged in Nigeria, a rash of alcoholic ‘bitters’ both from the big brewers and dingy backyards. Many go by such suggestive names like ogidiga, mokogan, jango bitters, lion bitters, champion bitters, hit-and-run bitters; all sorts. And there is a legion of unlabelled others with exotic primary colours ostensibly made to imbue libidinal prowess.

    In a place where health and regulatory authorities have been overwhelmed and just anything goes … down the Nigerian man’s gullet and into his system, there is indeed danger ahead. With sustained consumption of these delirious poisons, not only will our male libidos suffer in the long run, more kidneys will crash and livers will fail.

    If nothing is done, in 10 years very few Nigeria men will be able to bring on a viable erection for nary one minute. Quietly, our new lifestyle is scourging our man and manhood. The African male specie must begin to re-learn a lot about life and living in this age lest African women migrated to ‘far countries’ to find conjugal bliss.

    In summary, the best masculine physiognomy is one in which the blood and the entire body systems are clean, fluid and uncluttered, not necessarily the muscular. Too much alcohol, too much junk food and lack of conscious physical exercise will only put a man out of action early in life.

    To think that simple antidotes work magic: natural foods, fruits and vegetables, moderate to no alcohol, a lot of water and hygiene is it. In fact, some of the simple cures for poor libido include watermelon, ginger, garlic, nuts, bananas, sweet potatoes and bitter leaf juice. And talking about hygiene, most of us men would climb into bed to our partners with breath booming with booze and such stuff we picked from those corner bars and we expect it to actually turn her on. I doubt that it does.

    But just as most women are thought to keep clean and many actually do; men too must be conscious to be clean, especially for bed. And guy, here is one test for you as you climb into bed tonight: take a peek at the sole of your feet – what you see is a testimony to the state of your body and even your soul.

    Once again, this is to the brave Limuru, Kiambu women of Kenya.

     

    OUK versus TA: Unending pettiness

    One is much troubled that the current debilitating inertia in Abia State has been reduced to a joking matter by none other than a former helmsman of the state who held sway for about 12 years. The stand-off in that state portends a huge economic and infrastructural debacle that may not be easily quantifiable. The people of the state are paying and will pay heavy price for some time to come.

    But former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu writing in his column (SaturdaySun, July 9, 2016) only trivialised issues by heaping all the blames on his arch-enemy, immediate past Governor T.A. Orji. In 41 paragraphs of a running drivel, he blamed all the woes of Abia and some of his own on TA.

    But one is a witness of the Abia story from 1999 to 2007 when OUK ruled Abia; and 2007 to 2011 of TA’s tenure he usurped. As it is well known, it was the locust years of Abia when nothing worthwhile sprouted in the land and nothing stood; a time of extreme violence when all Abia elders and statesmen were chased out of town.

    It is a long, sad story that one believes history has noted accurately. But suffice to say that at a time when worthy Igbo elders were brainstorming in Owerri over the Igbo condition, OUK was busy stoking the fire of parochial politics in Abia. What a pity, what pettiness?

  • Menopause in women/men: Solutions to the disquiet of middle age (3)

    Today’s is a continuation of Part 2’s article which was published last week.

    As part of the symptoms or feelings that comes with perimenopause and menopause even up to postmenopause, the mouth may become dry and hot as well as painful.

    There may be colour changesin the mouth as it become pale. In some women, there could be changes in the manner of eating eithertoo high or too low or general dislike for food.

    Of major concern to a lot of women is loss of their skin smoothness which becomes slack. Wrinkles appear. This is as a result of loss of the underlying fat underneath the skin. This loss may give the appearance of aging and loss of beauty. This is probably the reason that makes women to put in more efforts at this age to appear and maintain being beautiful and acceptable.

    Among other reasons, divorce and separation are common in menopausal and post-menopausal times. Still, menopause gives rise to a much more concerning symptoms.

    In the reproductive tract itself, vagina loses its elasticity and lubrication. As a result, difficulty with sex may emerge. These challenges with sex may drive a wedge between couples if not properly managed. Further, the womb itself will shrink. At this time, any fibroid within the womb (uterus) may also correspondingly be reduced in size. The womb lining may also dry up or be reduced in size.

    A note of warning and caution: Any woman, who had stopped having her period or be in post menopause but now having irregular vaginal bleeding, should as a matter of priority see her medical doctor for advice. The reason is that cancer of the womb lining (endometrium) may be the reason for the irregular vagina bleeding.

    That said, the ovaries also become smaller during menopause. Again, I must caution here for two reasons here. The first is, in spite of what I have written so far, break-through or occasional pregnancy may still occur. Women will need to take caution and not make a mistake believing that she is no longer menstruating and so not being fertile. Unwanted pregnancy can be heart-breaking. The second point is, though the ovaries had shrunken in size, and as the years go by, there remains a risk that the ovary may develop cysts and cancers. Post menopausal women should therefore be vigilant to irregular vaginal bleeding, abdominal swelling and unusual body appearances.

    Still on the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause and even post menopause, the bladder and urine passages may lose their strengths. Urging to go to toilet and loss of ability to control passing urine during stress such as coughing may now be a problem. The women simply wet her self. This may create considerable social problem for the woman and her family. She may become an object of ridicule if the people around her fail to understand her difficulties.

    In some other circumstances, the womb may fall out (prolapsed) into outside world through the vagina as a result of the weakening of the supporting structures that hold the womb in place.

    In general, perimenopause due to variation of the hormone levels in the woman poses considerable changes.

    These difficulties may continue into menopause and climacteric times. Of crucial concern lies the fact that the larger African society and in particular Nigerian cultures may not fully understand the many problems that menopausal and peri-menopausal women go through. In ruraln cultures or even in cities, such women may be stigmatised or be called abusive names for lack of understanding of the events that is taking place in the woman.

    Investigations: Very often, the diagnosis of peri-menopause or menopause can be made by the doctor purely on history. Therefore, the woman should tell her story in full to her doctor. Her husband, if married or partner can and should ideally accompany her to see the doctor.

    The man is probably going to be the target of the woman’s irritability that menopause had brought upon her and as such he is at vantage point to give an eye witness account and state his experience of the development.

    The reader should not be surprised that the tests to diagnose menopause is few and sometimes may nor even require a test. The doctor is well advised that the only test is follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels. With exception to where the clinical necessity so indicates, there is no need for ultrasound scan or unnecessary prodding or extensive and expensive investigations to make a diagnosis of menopause.

    Crucially, I wish to seriously encourage women that may be undergoing the symptoms and feelingsthat I have described here to consider seeing a doctor. There is really no sense in suffering in silence.

    Part 4 article will deal with treatment.

  • Ondo women to protest Melaye’s attack against Senator Tinubu

    Ondo women to protest Melaye’s attack against Senator Tinubu

    •Rep slams Kogi senator 

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) women and other groups in Ondo State will today protest against Senator Dino Melaye in Akure, the state capital,  for “threatened Senator Oluremi Tinubu”at the Senate last Tuesday.

    Their coordinator and former member of the state House of Assembly, Mrs. Fola Olasehinde-Vincente, described the attack on Tinubu as “too harsh on the Nigerian women”.

    In a statement, the former lawmaker representing Ose Constituency said Melaye had records of assaults and physical attacks on women, especially with his first wife, Tokunbo.

    The statement noted that the action of the Kogi senator was “indecent and shameful”.

    “Melaye could flex his muscles if he so will, but not by being a bully in the Senate as evident in the way he sprang up from his seat and charged towards Senator Tinubu and threatened to physically assault her,” Olasehinde-Vincente said.

    The statement said the attack was the height of legislative rascality ever perpetrated by any lawmaker in the country.

    It added the lawmaker has misrepresented the people of Kogi West, who elected him.

    The group called on every woman across the globe to rise up against any assault on fellow women, saying “an attack on one woman is an attack on all women”.

    She urged women to join the procession slated for today in Akure.

    A member of House of Representatives, representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency, Abiodun Awoleye-Dada, said yesterday that the attack on  Senator Tinubu by Melaye showed that he has no respect for women.

    The two-term member of House of Representatives described Melaye’s statement as unfortunate and uncultured.

    The lawmaker, who spoke in Ibadan, criticised the way the senator conducts himself   in the Senate.

    According to him, the attack on Senator Tinubu was a show of shame and disgrace to men who perform their duties in their homes.

  • Menopause in women/men: Solutions to the disquiet of middle age (2)

    In this article, we shall look at the cause of menopause in women and the feelings that it generates as well as its impact on the family.

    Remember that we had earlier defined natural menopause simply as the term that is used to indicate that a woman has ceased to have her menstrual periods and her ovaries are no longer functioning to produce hormones to support her so as to be able to reproduce and bear children naturally.

    To qualify as having reached menopause, a woman’s menstrual period must have stopped for at least for the last 12 consecutive calendar months. We also saw earlier menopause may not be natural or it may be induced.

    Whatever the cause, to qualify as being in menopause: a woman’s period “must have stopped for at least for the last 12 consecutive calendar months” backed up relevant laboratory investigations. I will encourage the reader to go back to Part 1 of this series so as to get familiarise with the necessary and guiding definitions.

    Causes of Menopause: The first thing to realise in all these discussions is that, aging process is inevitable. However, natural menopause occurs on the average, in a woman in the age range of 45-52 but most commonly around 48-52 years. At this age range, the ovaries may stop to respond to the instructions or stimulations from the brain. By not responding, there will be no ovulation.

    As a matter of fact, after ovulation which occurs at about the mid cycle in a woman who has a 28-day cycle, pregnancy is suppose to result. It’s the failure of pregnancy to result that leads to menstrual period.

    This event is repeated every month. Therefore, when the ovary fails to respond to the said instructions as I said above, there will be no menstrual period. This lack of response is essentially due to aging process and the woman’s timed biological clock.

    Anything outside the above natural menopause could either be a pre-mature ovarian (POF) resulting in early premature menopause or menopause that is induced. POF may be due to no specific cause which scientists are yet to discover. POF may result from a genetic defect in the individual which the woman may have inherited from her parents. POF may also be due to tuberculosis of her reproductive tract.

    In some cases, POF may be due to treatments that the woman may have received from the doctors. Such treatments are often directed at cancers and may be chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Cigarette smoking is another cause.

    In some individuals, autoimmune diseases may the cause whereby the body works against its own interest and body defences start to attack the body organs. Individuals who have undergone a long time ovarian stimulation for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) to resolve infertility may also suffer premature ovarian failure and hence early menopause. Yet, there are other causes such as endometriosis whereby the menstrual flow instead of flowing outside the woman’s body through the vagina, flows inward back into the body.

    Outside these listed factors, surgical intervention to remove the womb or uterus may lead to early menopause. Obviously, outright removal of the ovaries without question results in menopause.

    How does perimenopausal and menopausal women present? What do they feel?

    Unfortunately in our African and indeed Nigerian cultures, some women especially if she suffers from infertility or she is under pressure not to appear as “old” may hide her symptoms and suffer in silence.

    Such women may want to prove to her husband (and in polygamous homes prove to her contemporaries), that she is still in her fertile age and that she can bear still children. Some women are in self-denial and may want to continue to have her menstrual periods as a false sign of continuing fertility.

    That said, about 80 per cent of women undergoing perimeno-pause or menopause or climacteric suffer considerably. Sadly only about 10-20 per cent of them world-wide including Nigeria may come forward.

    Some women make the assumption that, menopause is “part of a woman’s life” even if she is suffering greatly. The main symptom of fluctuating hormone in a woman is called hot flush which the main feeling of perimen-opause and menopause.

    The hot flush, or flash, is well known as the classic menopausal symptom and affects 60–85per cent of menopausal women. Hot flushes and sweats constitute vasomotor symptoms and vary immensely in both their severity and duration; for many women, they occur occasionally and do not cause much distress, but for about 20 per cent they can be severe and can cause significant interference with work, sleep and quality of life. Women are affected by vasomotor symptoms on average for about two years but, for about 10 per cent, symptoms can continue for more than 15 years.

    Hot flushes usually last three to five minutes and are thought to be caused changes in the brain’s thermoregulator , according to Menopause Matters.

    In some women, with or without hot flushes, sleep could be impaired.  She may become irritable—a “short fuse”, anxious and even depressed and lacking in concentration. In those with tendency but hidden vulnerability toward frank madness, serious mental illness may manifest as this age of menopause.

    The bones become weak and as a result, fractures of the hip and hands and back may occur in menopausal and post-menopausal women. We shall continue with the symptoms and treatment in next week’s article.

  • Menopause in women/men: Solutions to the disquiet of middle age (2)

    In this article, we shall look at the cause of menopause in women and the feelings that it generates as well as its impact on the family.

    Remember that we had earlier defined natural menopause simply as the term that is used to indicate that a woman has ceased to have her menstrual periods and her ovaries are no longer functioning to produce hormones to support her so as to be able to reproduce and bear children naturally.

    To qualify as having reached menopause, a woman’s menstrual period must have stopped for at least for the last 12 consecutive calendar months. We also saw earlier menopause may not be natural or it may be induced.

    Whatever the cause, to qualify as being in menopause: a woman’s period “must have stopped for at least for the last 12 consecutive calendar months” backed up relevant laboratory investigations. I will encourage the reader to go back to Part 1 of this series so as to get familiarise with the necessary and guiding definitions.

    Causes of Menopause: The first thing to realise in all these discussions is that, aging process is inevitable. However, natural menopause occurs on the average, in a woman in the age range of 45-52 but most commonly around 48-52 years. At this age range, the ovaries may stop to respond to the instructions or stimulations from the brain. By not responding, there will be no ovulation.

    As a matter of fact, after ovulation which occurs at about the mid cycle in a woman who has a 28-day cycle, pregnancy is suppose to result. It’s the failure of pregnancy to result that leads to menstrual period.

    This event is repeated every month. Therefore, when the ovary fails to respond to the said instructions as I said above, there will be no menstrual period. This lack of response is essentially due to aging process and the woman’s timed biological clock.

    Anything outside the above natural menopause could either be a pre-mature ovarian (POF) resulting in early premature menopause or menopause that is induced. POF may be due to no specific cause which scientists are yet to discover. POF may result from a genetic defect in the individual which the woman may have inherited from her parents. POF may also be due to tuberculosis of her reproductive tract.

    In some cases, POF may be due to treatments that the woman may have received from the doctors. Such treatments are often directed at cancers and may be chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Cigarette smoking is another cause.

    In some individuals, autoimmune diseases may the cause whereby the body works against its own interest and body defences start to attack the body organs. Individuals who have undergone a long time ovarian stimulation for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) to resolve infertility may also suffer premature ovarian failure and hence early menopause. Yet, there are other causes such as endometriosis whereby the menstrual flow instead of flowing outside the woman’s body through the vagina, flows inward back into the body.

    Outside these listed factors, surgical intervention to remove the womb or uterus may lead to early menopause. Obviously, outright removal of the ovaries without question results in menopause.

    How does perimenopausal and menopausal women present? What do they feel?

    Unfortunately in our African and indeed Nigerian cultures, some women especially if she suffers from infertility or she is under pressure not to appear as “old” may hide her symptoms and suffer in silence.

    Such women may want to prove to her husband (and in polygamous homes prove to her contemporaries), that she is still in her fertile age and that she can bear still children. Some women are in self-denial and may want to continue to have her menstrual periods as a false sign of continuing fertility.

    That said, about 80 per cent of women undergoing perimeno-pause or menopause or climacteric suffer considerably. Sadly only about 10-20 per cent of them world-wide including Nigeria may come forward.

    Some women make the assumption that, menopause is “part of a woman’s life” even if she is suffering greatly. The main symptom of fluctuating hormone in a woman is called hot flush which the main feeling of perimen-opause and menopause.

    The hot flush, or flash, is well known as the classic menopausal symptom and affects 60–85per cent of menopausal women. Hot flushes and sweats constitute vasomotor symptoms and vary immensely in both their severity and duration; for many women, they occur occasionally and do not cause much distress, but for about 20 per cent they can be severe and can cause significant interference with work, sleep and quality of life. Women are affected by vasomotor symptoms on average for about two years but, for about 10 per cent, symptoms can continue for more than 15 years.

    Hot flushes usually last three to five minutes and are thought to be caused changes in the brain’s thermoregulator , according to Menopause Matters.

    In some women, with or without hot flushes, sleep could be impaired.  She may become irritable—a “short fuse”, anxious and even depressed and lacking in concentration. In those with tendency but hidden vulnerability toward frank madness, serious mental illness may manifest as this age of menopause.

    The bones become weak and as a result, fractures of the hip and hands and back may occur in menopausal and post-menopausal women. We shall continue with the symptoms and treatment in next week’s article.

  • Menopause in women /men: Solutions to the disquiet of middle age (1)

    A walk through any crowded and open market in Lagos or any big city in Nigeria will quickly bring home the often unrealised symptom and impact of menopause. It goes thus: upon the top of a small car in the market, sits a blaring loud speaker in the middle of the market. The announcer and the marketer frequently targeting women, urging passers-by to purchase preparations and solutions from him to cure myriad of illnesses and specifically for women to cure “internal heat” and “hot belly.”

    Such is the general discomfort that menopause brings upon middle- age women. Feelings of internal heat or perception of hot belly are not the only symptoms of menopause. As we shall see later, the distress caused by the change in reproductive function during middle age is huge and can be disabling.

    Women suffer needlessly when they don’t realise the changes that is going on in them. When a person is well informed biologically, the burden of the changes will be less. There is no doubt that menopause causes a lot of unease but a lot of women sufferers do not often realise the cause of their symptoms and very frequently blame the feelings on something else even to the point of accusing others of persecution.

    So far, I have directed my attention in this article towards women. However, evidence, albeit not generally accepted yet, is gradually emerging to say that men also suffer from “menopause”. Thus, in the coming weeks, I will be dealing with menopause primarily in women but with some degree of devotion to “menopause” in men at latter stages. To date both in medical circles and in public minds, the term menopause is generally applicable to women. With this in mind, let us now get on with the task of dealing with preliminaries of menopause in women: First, the definitions. These definitions will guide us in our way when we begin to have our discussions under menopause.

    Natural Menopause: This is simply the term that is used to indicate that a woman has ceased to have her menstrual periods and her ovaries are no longer functioning to produce hormones to support her   to reproduce and bear children naturally. To qualify as having reached menopause, a woman’s menstrual period must have stopped for at least for the 12 consecutive calendar months.

    Pre-menopause: This term means, anytime before the arrival of menopause. Very often it means anytime from the adolescence to end of reproductive age.

    Peri-menopause: This means the few years before menopause and up to one year after the last menstrual period.

    Climacteric simply means transition from the period of being able to reproduce to that time when the woman is no longer being able to reproduce. It’s the change over time.

    Post-Menopause: this is the term that doctors use to indicate the time that comes after menopause.

    Premature Ovarian Failure (POF): This term is reserved for the event that occurred in a woman who isunder 40 years old whose ovaries have failed to continue to function. This failure to function may be as a result of natural occurrence or due to disease states that is inherited from own parents. A lot of the reasons for POF are due to genetic diseases.

    It may also be due to a situation when the ovaries are surgically removed. In some other occasions, it may be due to conditions whereby the woman is treated for cancer. Such treatment may be an exposure of the ovaries to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

    Surprisingly, POF may occur as a consequence of cigarette smoking. Premature ovarian failure may also be due to common infections such as tuberculosis of the reproductive tract. In some cases, the failure of ovaries to continue working may be as a result of no specific or identifiable conditions.

    Induced menopause: Menopause can be natural or brought upon the individual by artificial means.

    When menopause is not natural, then it’s induced. Such unnatural occurrence of menopause is called Induced menopause. This induction can be due to administration of medications, such as chemotherapy for treatment of cancer or exposure to radiotherapy because of the need to bring a cancer under control. Induced menopause may also be as a result of surgical operations during hysterectomy (removal of womb with or without removal of ovaries) carried out by medical doctors.

    Now that we have taken care of the necessary definitions that relate to menopause, we can begin the proper task of elaborating on the very distressing matter of menopause. We shall begin this by looking at the causes of menopause and what the sufferers feel (symptoms) as well as the signs. We shall also address the investigations. Subsequent article will look at the treatment and self help measures that the woman can undertake. Finally, the last part in the series will address the much debated “menopause in men.”

  • Delta Govt. pledges commitment to rights of women, children

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Wednesday expressed the state government’s commitment to protect the rights of women and children in the state.

    Okowa made the remarks when he received the President of Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, who paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba.

    He said the Child Rights Act was domesticated in Delta in 2009 and that as a state, the Act would be diligently implemented.

    He added that “we intend to implement the Act diligently, if anybody is involved in the abuse of women and children, the person must stop, because we will take such issue up and the person will be prosecuted.

    “We must do what we can to safeguard the future of our children because it appears that many families have forgotten their roles right from the family level; it seems that values are lost.

    “As you carry on with your social advocacy, a lot needs to be done for families to play their roles of bringing up well trained children.”

    The governor, however, lamented situations where children grow up without feeling pains or not afraid of inflicting pains on others.

    He cautioned against any form of violence on children, women and less privileged in the society, adding that parents should ensure proper upbringing of their children and wards.

    He assured that government would take up any issue that concerned gender based violence and child abuse.

    He commended Okei-Odumakin for her organisation’s intervention to reduce violence against children, women and the less privileged in the society.

    Mrs Okei-Odumakin, who did a presentation on gender-based violence in the country, called on the governor to establish centres to handle such cases in the state.

    She, however, disclosed that her team was in the state to present policy guidelines on gender-based violence on young persons in Nigeria and to get the state to key into the programme.

  • Enugu medical women elect president

    Enugu medical women elect president

    RENOWNED cardiologist, Dr. Esther Ekwe, of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, Ituku-Ozall, Enugu State, has been inaugurated the 15th President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN).

    The installation had a touch of class, as the 3,000-capacity international conference hall of the Oaklands Events Centre Enugu, was filled with guests from within and outside the country.

    Ekwe had the full complement of all national officers and executive members of both the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN) and that of the male folk, the umbrella body, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), as well as government officials and captains of industry.

    Ekwe, the only daughter of her late parents, Chief Valentine Ibeh and Mrs. Patricia Ibe of Mgbowo, in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, had the honour of having members from all states of Nigeria and Abuja at her investiture, as the 2016 national council meeting of the association coincided with the historic event in Enugu.

    The gathering of the cream of the medical profession attracted the international president of Medical Women’s Association, Prof. Kyung Ah Park, represented by the national president of Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Dr. Echendu Dolly Adinma, the national president-elect of the women body, Dr. Joyce Barber, the national president of Nigeria Medical Association, represented by the award winning chairman of the Enugu State branch, Dr. George Ugwu and the chairman of the medical advisory council of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Dr. Obinna Onodugo.

    The roll call of dignitaries at the event was endless, as it also featured the chairman of Association of Resident Doctors at the UNTH, Dr. Ikechukwu Oraegbunam and his counterpart at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu, Igwe Dr. Ikeabbah Henry, Dr. Chukwuma Oraegbunam, the national president elect of Association of Resident Doctors, Igwe Onyebueze John, the group chairman of Buzuzu construction company, Port-Harcourt, and the Prince of Mburubu, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, Lawrence Ezeh, who was honoured at the occasion, the former chairman of Nkanu East Local Government area of Enugu State, Hon. Frank Anioma and numerous others.

    Speaking shortly after she was decorated by the national president of Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Dr. Echendu Dolly Adinma, to the admiration of the audience, the new present of the Enugu State branch of Medical Women’s Association, Ekwe, said that the Medical Women’s Association, founded in 1976, was a non-governmental organization, non-profit, non-sectarian organization of female medical and dental doctors in Nigeria and a subsidiary of Medical Women International and has been in the forefront of efforts aimed at improving the health of the community through education, public enlightenment and health campaigns, concerted efforts at providing affordable screening for communicable and non-communicable diseases.

    Ekwe, who graduated from the University of Nigeria in 1998, further explained that the women body was therefore a coalition of concerned women who are bothered about family health, with special emphasis on women and the girl-child.

    She continued: “In this regard, we have successfully and consistently executed tailor-suited health programmes that urgently address the health challenges of the average woman, such as the breast and cervical cancer screening which aimed at early detection and control, and this has necessitated the printing and distribution of awareness handbills and leaflets to communities, markets and health care centres throughout the country.

    According to the new Enugu State MWAN boss, “this, we have vigorously pursued and poised to do more with the wind-wisdom of our predecessors, more enabling environment from government and support from all and sundry. This event grants us the opportunity of a lifetime to renew our commitment to the collective health struggles women face and a platform to galvanise more support to do more than we ever imagined possible, and together we can do it and together we will do it.”

    Ekwe, said that in addition to ongoing campaigns and awareness programmes and in line with their guiding theme – promoting gender equality and women empowerment, beyond 2016, members of the group would intensify effort towards eliminating legal and socio-cultural barriers to women empowerment canvass for the health of women and children in conflict situations and put more efforts at reducing the scourge of breast and other gynaecologic cancers in Nigeria, starting from the south-east zone of the country.

    In line with the tradition of such events, the medical women association presented awards to three eminent Nigerians who have made huge contributions to nation building, especially at the community level.

    The awardees were the Prince of Mbrubu in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, Lawrence Ezeh, Ugoeze Hildegard Ebigbo, the founder of the Therapeutic Schools in Enugu and famous paediatric surgeon, Prof. Emeritus Nene Obianyo of UNTH Enugu.

    While Ezeh was honoured with the association’s 2016 Gold Merit Award for philanthropy, community development and for the reconstruction of three bridges that had kept over six large communities in the area in bondage for over 107 years, Ugoeze Hildegard Maria Ebigbo, wife of former deputy vice chancellor of the university, Enugu Campus, Prof. Emeritus Peter Ebigbo, bagged the award for training, rehabilitating and empowering over 200,000 handicapped and normal children since 1979 in her Therapeutic schools in Nigeria.

    Renowned Prof. Emeritus Nene Obianyo, was recognized for her feat in medicine, especially for her role in the first separation of Siemens’ twins in Africa in 1976.