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Name
Normah
- Malaysia
Profession
Doctor
Question
In a multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country where the Muslim population is only around 55%, how does a practising Muslim O&G specialist reconcile his/her medical/ professional ethics with that of the Islamic laws or fatwa e.g. relating to surrogacy, in-vitro fertilisation, cloning etc. While it is easy to explain these issues to Muslim patients - and hope they accept these fatwa, what is our duty and responsibility as a Muslim O&G specialist to his/her non-muslim patients who wants services which counter Islamic laws/fatwa -taking into consideration their rights to those services. Should Muslim doctors forego completely learning new techniques which are counter to Islamic laws/fatwa and become "less of an expert" in these fields?
Answer
Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
In a multi-cultural society, with different religions, people can accept differences seen in daily life. Among these differences are practitioners' ways in dealing with their patient so long as they try to provide the best care to their patients.
Accordingly, if you explain to other non-Muslim patients that you don't practice certain techniques or procedures and make this clear from the start, you will find it easy to deal with them.
In fact, people will know this about you and you will not need (after awhile) to explain to people these facts.
Regarding your concerns about certain techniques, it is clear now that invitro fertilization is not against Islamic laws or fatwas, but surrogacy is against Islamic law.
And in every practice that is not clear to you, you can ask religious scholars in your country. Islam is flexible and always considers the society's circumstances.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Baraka Allahu feeki
Name
Mama
-
Profession
Question
Is it acceptable (sinless) for Muslim women to go for normal pregnancy check up & deliver with male gynae (muslim or non-muslim) when there are many Muslim and non-muslims female gynae available in the same hospital or within the same area?
I read in d fatwa session that 1st choice should be Muslim female gynae, non Muslim female gynae then only followed by Muslim male gynae etc.
Answer
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
One basic fact in our religion is to listen to our scholars' fatwas. And there is a well-documented fatwa agreeing with what you said.
However, there is also what is called proficiency. This means that the doctor should be well-trained in his/her work.
In medicine, most medical issues can be managed with a moderate degree of skills, but certain issues require more advanced training.
So you should always consider the skill of your doctor. If your female doctor is skillful, then you should make her your first choice; however, if you are not sure about her skillfulness in your particular condition, then it is wiser to consider going to a well-trained skillfull doctor, regardless whether male or female.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
annuar
-
Profession
Question
My wife pregnant for the eight child and the due date is this coming Ramadhan. Can she aviod fasting because during her last pregnancies(7th), she had anemia(blood count very less). Is she required to pay back the fasting after delivery?
Answer
Dear Brother,
Assalamu alaikum.
God bless your wife and your coming baby. We strongly advise you to consult your obstetrician regarding your wife's general condition. If the doctor reassures you, then she may try to fast. If any medical problem (fainting or dizziness) happens, then fasting is not a good option for her.
But what really concerns me is her anemic condition and there are still three months till the coming Ramadan. You should do your best to improve her blood count to be normal before delivery.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
muslima
- Canada
Profession
Question
Salaam alaykoum Dr. I have a ? concerning my daughter. I would really appreciate some help from you. the problem is my daughter gives out a very nasty stench wherever she is (sitting or standing. I cannot figure it out definitively but it is not very healthy. I am afraid she may have some sort of a problem that needs to be seen by a doctor but she is not easy to convince where doctors are concern. I know that she is still not touched sexually because I made it my duty to find out in a nice but diplomatic way from her. also whenever she takes a bath and is refreshed the smell is gone until for an hour or two then it will come back. Please tell me what to do to help her even if it has to be some homemade remedy if necessary and are cureable
Answer
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
The best solution for this situation is to take two steps:
First, please examine your daughter's underwear and check for the following:
Discharge: its amount, color and smell.
Excretions, whether urine or stools.
The second step depends on what you find. If you find nothing, then it is one of two things: either there is a vaginal infection or there is nothing and this smell comes from another part of the body not related to her reproductive system.
If you find either discharge or excretions, then please consult a specialist and this is very important whether she likes it or not.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
ceta
- Canada
Profession
Question
Salaam alaykoum dr.hicham I am in my early forty`s and recently remarried to a wonderful man. I wish to give him a child. My previous marriage I gave birth to three beautiful children but now when I am trying to get pregnant nothing is working. I am a strong believer in Allah and I know that my prayers will be answer by his will. What I can`t seems to understand is that I went through many test and all answers were great. (I am able to concieve). Tell me what is going wrong. Is there anything I am not doing right? I did all that is necessary concerning my health and possibilities to find out if I am able to concieve of which I recieved good answers. I am confused. What is stopping me. My husband did take some test in his country. All answers were great. Please tell me what to do. Salaam alaykoum
Answer
Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
It is not clear to me whether your husband had a semen analysis before or not, but assuming that he had done so and he is fertile, then you should understand that fecundability (the ability for the woman to conceive per menstrual cycle) markedly declines after the age of 40. This is because the endometrium (the soil where the embryo implants and grows) is becoming less and less receptive to the fertilized ovum.
Accordingly, we advise you to have one test, which is for FSH (follicular stimulating hormone) to check for your ovarian reserve (the ability of the ovary to produce eggs). If it is more than 10 mIU/ml, then it will be difficult to have mature ova. If it is less, and you have a strong desire to conceive, then assisted reproduction in the form of invitro fertilization would be the optimum answer for you.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
aisha
-
Profession
Question
I am 34 years old and preparing to get married. i was told last year that i have fibroid but that it is small. Do fibroids affect fertility?what are the causes of fibroids? recently i noticed that my bladder has become weak, is is a symtom of fibroid? what is your advise?
Answer
Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
Fibroid tumors are benign, very slowly growing and usually appear above the age of 30. We don't know their exact cause, but we do know that they may affect fertility depending on their size and site.
Fibroids more than 3 cm in diameter and those that are result in heavy menses could affect fertility.
The best thing for you to do is to go ahead with your marriage and not to worry about it. All that you need is to follow-up this fibroid to check its size and location one year after marriage.
Finally, it is not related to your bladder symptoms.
Name
Huda
- United Kingdom
Profession
student
Question
I am maried for nearly two years.since i got maried we don't use no controception what so ever. 5 months ago i had expeirence pain in my righ groin. As a rusult i had scan which shown cyct bihand my vagina. the Dr said that is not a problem.i also explain that i was trying to get pregnent in that sence we never use contraception. larposcopy was done. Dr drain the cyct and excaming my reporoduction system, everthig was fine Alhamdulilah. nothing happing since than. i went to private hospital
to investigate our fertility. my husban's sperm result was very good. my hormonal blood test shown.follicle stim 12.7IU/L luteinising hormone 9.5IU/L progesterone 1.3IU/L prolactin 532 MIU/l
and 17-beta oestradiol 229 PMOL/L time blood was taken was secend week of my period. what is that mean? DR said 5 days of your next period i will give you injection and i supposto check my temparature every day? i am still waiting next period. but i dont know what to do. please advice me and explain about the blood result? sorry for my long question i dont kow who else to ask. jasaakahah
Answer
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
Hoping that you will get pregnant soon inshallah.
First, your hormonal blood test should have been done in the first week of your period rather than the second week. Accordingly, we cannot comment on these results. The only thing that we can say is that progesterone should be done on the days 22-24 of the cycle.
The second thing is that the situation depends on your age. If you are above 35 years old, we strongly advise you to get help from a specialist in assisted reproduction. If you are less than 35 years old, then just ovulation induction and follow-up of ovulation by ultrasound would be a reasonable solution for you for the next six months.
You should know that conception is a matter of fate. The chance of conception is on average five to fifteen percent per cycle. So during this time, try not to be stressed and to leave it to Allah so long as you are doing your best. Because stress in itself can delay conception.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
Sumayya
-
Profession
Programmer
Question
Dear Dr,
Assalam elai kum!
Many thanks to the organizers and you for all the good efforts.
My question is that about periods. I used to get my periods for 7 days and occasionally going to 9 days with 3 days of heavy bleeding and brown discharge after 6th day.
I am a mother of 2 now and I get periods for 11 days. 3 days of heavy bleeding and dark brown turning to black discharge from 7 days (for couple days). I get sign of purity(white discharge) only on 10-11th day. Though I do not have any bleeding for the last 3-4 days, it is confusing whether I can pray and fast or not.
Also my cycle used to be 30 days and now it is 28 days.
Is is normal? Can I do anything to decrease the length of the periods? It has been very difficult for me and my husband.
Jazakallah.
Answer
Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
The average, normal length of menstrual cycle is 28 days ±2-5 days. Accordingly, this slight change in your cycle is normal and you shouldn't worry about it.
Regarding the duration of bleeding - 10 days - if you are using an IUD for contraception, then we suggest removal of the IUD and replacing it with oral contraceptive pills and your period will last for only 3-5 days.
Regarding the last 3-4 days when you don't have bleeding but just discharge, it's better to ask a religious scholar whether or not you should pray.
But we recommend that you pray and fast if there is only discharge.
Name
Noura
- United States
Profession
student
Question
As'salamu alykum
My Doctor is testing me to see if I have PCOS. I did a GTT test on Saturday and I fasted before the test. My blood sugar level was 92 while fasting, is that normal level or what? Does PCOS effect getting pregnant? if it does what should I do ?
JAK
Answer
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) does affect the fertility potential of the woman, but it has certain characteristics like delayed menses, scanty menses, abnormal hair growth, or obesity.
Doing blood glucose tolerance test (GTT) could be helpful, but more importantly, you should do a blood hormonal profile for follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) on the first week of the period. Blood glucose by itself does not indicate anything. So don't worry about your blood sugar.
I don't like to rush and assume that you have polycystic ovary syndrome, but if we assume that, then the condition needs what is called ovulation induction, meaning that you should have certain medications, mostly oral, to induce the ovary to work and produce follicles.
Polycystic ovary can be even cured by reducing the body weight, which we strongly advise you to do in the meantime if you are overweight.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
Umm_Jinan
- United States
Profession
Question
As'salamu alykum
I don't mean any offense in any way. But, don’t you think it’s better for Muslim men to specialize in different parts of medicine. Don't you feel it’s awkward to see female patients when there are many other female doctors who can see them?Especially if this in a Muslim country.
Thank you for all your help
Answer
Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
Kindly type my name "Al-Inany" in Pubmed, which is the largest medical search engine available. Then search for any female doctor specialized in obstetrics and gynecology. You will see what proficiency means.
Sister, let's be practical. In many developing countries like my country, Egypt, men have a better opportunity for receiving an education and post-graduate training. This means that they will get a better chance to be skillfull. And skill is important especially in obstetrics where two souls are involved, not just one.
Women in the developing world also shoulder a larger portion of the responsibility towards the home. This will limit the possibilities of attaining the necessary skills to be competent.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
Kima
- United States
Profession
IT Consultant
Question
Asalamo Alaikum,
I'm wondering if you know of any muslim sister in VA that helps non-insured sisters with their delivery and what is the ruling if a non-muslim man/woman has to take care of a C-Section delivery due to the fact that the person didn't have insurance nor a specific doctor and is in the last week of giving birth? In other words is it OK to just take oneself to a hospital without knowing who will take care of delivery?
Answer
Sister,
I'm deeply sorry. This question is outside my scope as I'm currently in Egypt.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
.
-
Profession
Question
Asalamualaykum
White discharge from female areas, what does it signify?
If a female gets her period on a montly basis does this make her medically deemed 'fertile'. Off course Allah (Swt) can choose to allow someone to be pregnant or not but from the medical perspective does it signifify fertility?
Jazakallah Khair
Answer
Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
White discharge can mean several things. Usually it means just normal vaginal discharge that increases before menses and increases during sexual excitement. But if it is associated with itching (pruritis) or offensive discharge, then it can be due to infection in the vagina.
Regarding the regular menses, it only points to the high possibility of normal ovarian function (the woman is ovulatory). Ovulation is important for fertility, but it is not the only factor involved. There are the fallopian tubes, that should be patent, and the uterus, that should be ready to receive the embryo.
Accordingly from the medical point of view, regular periods do not necessarily mean fertility, but it is a good indicator.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
Umm
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Salam alikum
I had an episiotomy after my child's birth (1'st time) and now 3 month later i am still having pain at the wound site and dyspareunia.
The doc told me the wound is very infected and i also have vaginitis (there is erosions) and I got alot of medecines over these months: Antibiotics (2 courses) cataflam, voltaren, furaderm, betadine, garamycin, albothyl, gyno-pevaryl... i can't name all of them. Nothing helps. What can i do?
Answer
Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
Mubarak alwiladah (congratulations on your delivery)!
Your situation is obviously stressful for you. If the episiotomy is still infected 3 months after delivery, this means that the wound has a continuous source of infection (from the rectum, for example). So you should check by thorough examination if there is any abnormality in the wound itself other than being infected.
I can assume, so long as intercourse has been performed, that if the episiotomy was at a time infected, that is not the case now. Your main problem now is the pain and dyspareunia. This can be explained by stitches that were taken deeply in the pelvic floor muscles. Unfortunately, these stitches will cause pain for a few months and finally you will improve inshallah. So don't overuse analgesics.
Regarding erosions, they usually result from the marked elevation of hormone levels during pregnancy, and will disappear within a few months after delivery, so be patient and don't worry about the erosions; they will disappear inshallah.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
Natasja
- Suriname
Profession
Question
salaam alaykoum dr. I am having a lot of problem with my health. What I want to know is I am 22year old and why am I losing weight a lot. I am also having my period twice or trice a month. Tell me is there something wrong with me? Please advice me what to do. thank you doctor. salaam alaykoum
Answer
Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
May Allah protect you from harm. I would advise you to have the following tests done:
Stool analysis, tests to see the thyroid gland function (thyroid stimulating hormone, free T3) and liver function (SGOT, SGPT and alkaline phosphatase). These tests are important to give a general picture of your health.
In the meantime, good nutrition and healthy lifestyle would be our advice till the results of these investigations come out.
Wassalamu alaikum.
Name
ceta
- Canada
Profession
Question
salaam alaykoum Dr. I would like to ask you about this results. FSH result is 1.67, LH 1.94, and PROG. 37.16 Are these result good for me to get pregnant? Thank you
Answer
Sister,
Assalamu alaikum.
Progesterone level is excellent and it points to successful ovulation. However, for pregnancy to occur it requires that the fallopian tubes are patent and the uterus is normal. So you need to do a hysterosalpingography (a certain dye injected in the uterus to show it with the tubes).
