Why is he denying my pregnancy?

My boyfriend is denying my pregnancy since he used the withdraw method when we had sex. How did I get pregnant? Nabatanzi

Dear Nabatanzi,
What you and your boyfriend practiced to avoid pregnancy is known as coitus interruptus which is 73 to 96 per cent effective for birth control, but success mostly depends on the male partner’s self-knowledge and self-control.

During sex, the male organ releases two kinds of fluids which both may enter the female reproductive system.

The first is pre-ejaculate (pre-cum), which acts as a lubricant and an acid neutraliser. Precum does not contain sperms since it is produced by the Cowper’s gland but not the testes. The pre-cum, however, can transmit infections including STDs and HIV.
The second, released during ejaculation, is semen from the testicles, prostate and seminal vesicles and carries hundreds of thousands of sperms in addition to any sexually transmittable infection germs that may be present.

Some of the failures that may lead to pregnancies happen because a man may withdraw after partially ejaculating, or performing the next round with sperms having remained in the penis during previous sex. Precum itself contains no sperms except from previous rounds or sex which can be cleaned out by passing urine before the next sex or rounds.

Therefore, to ensure no sperm enters the vagina during sex, the male partner should urinate and wipe the tip of the penis before next intercourse. When the male partner feels close to ejaculation, he must withdraw.

Also, some men ejaculate close to the vulva or on the legs near the vulva, where the sperms can swim to the uterus and cause pregnancy. If you did not have sex with any other man during that month, it is likely that the coitus interruptus failed.

Is it true that people with big stomachs are those who do not deworm? EM

Dear EM,
A ‘big stomach’ or pot belly does not result from worms but from storing too much fat in the abdomen. A person with a big stomach like anybody else may or may not have worms.

Though one from two years of age should deworm every six months, it has been said some worms stop the body’s protective systems against germs (immune system) from overreacting and harming the body leading to the so-called autoimmune diseases (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, multiple sclerosis and asthma).

Worm infestation could explain the low incidence of autoimmune diseases and allergies in less developed countries and increased allergies and autoimmune diseases in industrialised countries where worm infestation is almost non-existent.

In helminthic therapy, a person is given eggs of worms or worms themselves to prevent some autoimmune diseases and allergies. A number of such organisms or the eggs being used here are pig whipworms (Trichuris suis), Necator Americanus,(human hookworms) and Trichuris trichiuris ( human whipworm).

In fact for one to take deworming drugs, stool should be checked and then treatment aimed at those worms that are harmful and not useful in preventing autoimmune diseases. Harmful worms include Ascaris lumbricoides (human giant roundworm), Strongyloides stercoralis( human roundworm) and Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm or threadworm).

So, if one takes deworming drugs every six months, he/she can then keep eating the eggs of useful worms. Or one should take deworming drugs, after stool examination has indicated infestation with the “unhealthy” worms and afterwards consume a dish of worms or eggs of useful worms if the drugs eliminated useful worms.

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