Why do my periods last two weeks?

There are different reasons why people experience heavy and prolonged periods. However, you need to seek medical attention to rule out any underlying factors. FILE PHOTO 

In Summary

Eyelashes may turn grey for many reasons; some natural, and others as a result of medical conditions or genetic disorders.

Dear doctor, I really need help. My periods usually take two weeks and the flow is heavy with clots. This has been happening for the last five months and it is beginning to scare me. My stomach bulges whenever I am in my periods. One would mistake me for a pregnant woman. During such times, I also have a relentless headache.

Jenifer
Dear Jenifer: Normal menstruation, usually lasts three to five days, although bleeding between two and seven days is considered normal with the average blood loss being 40 cc (with 20–80 ml considered normal). An enzyme, plasmin stops clotting except when it is overwhelmed by too much bleeding. More than 80 cc and longer than a week, but happening at menstruation time, is called menorrhagia. This is usually caused by imbalances in hormones that can be restored by combined contraceptive pills or other hormones. Sometimes swellings in the wombs (fibroids) may be the cause and if painful it is usually due to infections in the womb and fallopian tubes (pelvic inflammatory disease). That said, some of the risk factors for menorrhagia include obesity (and stress) and an expanded waistline is a pointer to this. A routine headache may be caused by the stress you are getting over this situation. To get to the root of your problem, an audit of your lifestyle to help get to the bottom of the heavy and prolonged menstruation. That said, you need to visit a gynaecologist for proper diagnosis.

Dear Doctor, I have a problem with my lips, they are always dry. I went to the clinic and was advised to drink a lot of water. I have upped my water intake but still the problem persisted. What can I do to change this?
Travis, MUK

Dear Travis: Dry or windy weather patterns can evaporate moisture from the surface lips and make them dry. Dry, swollen, or cracked lips can also be caused by allergies, which apart from drying lips may congest the nose and lead to breathing through the mouth, losing moisture and drugs including those for allergies and mouthwashes that contain alcohols also dry lips. People whose mouths do not completely close, especially those with protruding teeth also suffer general lip dryness. Unfortunately, many people with dry lips keep licking them which worsens the problem. Sometimes, lip moisture is cut off when one is dehydrated, that is why you were advised to take a lot of water. However, in your case, dehydration may not have been the cause. Apart from looking for the cause and addressing it, application of a mixture of Vaseline and honey at least thrice a week will prevent lips from drying and chapping. Use of a good lip balm can stop moisture loss. If there is also lip itching, counter irritants should be added to the lip balm. Increasing your intake of Vitamin B, Vitamin C rich foods can be supplementary.

Dear doctor, I get yellowish vaginal discharges and at times it itches. What could I be suffering from? What type of tablets can I take to completely cure it?

Dear Olivia: A normal vaginal discharge consists of about a teaspoon of a day that is white or transparent, thick to thin, odourless or musky daily produced to keep the vagina moist. It also cleanses, removes fluids and worn out cells as well as excessive bacteria. It is normal for the discharge to be brown for a day or two following the menstrual periods but if it is yellow and accompanied by pain, itching, rashes or sores then that indication of infection. Yellow discharge means pus which is an infection say chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, mixed vaginal infection, pelvic inflammatory disease or bacterial vaginosis among many others. It can also indicate bigger illnesses such as cancer of the cervix.
Because the causes are many you need to see your doctor for proper evaluation and treatment since delay may mean that your condition may turn chronic and cause lifelong suffering as well as infertility.

Dear Doctor, I have been passing green stool for the last couple of days. I am worried that I have a health complication. Please advise.

Dear worried reader: Although the sight of green stool may be alarming, they do not usually indicate a serious intestinal problem. Stool colour is generally influenced by what we eat as well as by the amount of bile (the yellow-green fluid that digests fats in your stool). As bile pigments travel through your gastrointestinal tract, they are chemically altered by enzymes changing the pigment from green to brown. Stool gets its colour from bile, which is a yellow-green fluid produced in the liver that helps to digest food. As food passes through the digestive tract, digestive enzymes break down the bile, resulting in various shades of brown stool. When a disease or condition causes diarrhoea, food passes through the digestive tract rapidly because digestive enzymes did not have time to turn the stool brown
Green leafy vegetables, green food colouring in flavoured drink mixes or ice pops, iron supplements can also alter the colour of stool.