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Experts caution against pregnancy beyond 10 months
***Says, its normal
By Francesca Hangeior
Seasoned maternal health experts have debunked claims and myths that a woman could be pregnant for three years or more.
The consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists asserted that an average pregnancy in humans could only last for 42 weeks or 10 months, stating that pregnancy lasting beyond this period was abnormal and has no place in medicine.
They noted that after 42 weeks of gestation, the placenta, which is an organ that provides oxygen and nutrients to a developing baby in the uterus, would decline, leading to the death of the foetus.
The experts’ comment is in response to the recent eight-year pregnancy claim by a middle-aged woman, Janet Dada.
Dada claimed that she suffered a miscarriage in 2016 and after that got pregnant, stating that since then, she had yet to deliver the baby.
Although she clarified that several ultrasound scans showed she was not carrying a baby, spiritualists whom she visited assured her she was pregnant.
In October, former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, said his late mother carried him in her womb for three-and-half years.
He described his birth as a miracle, noting that the prolonged pregnancy created a wave of unbelief as to whether he was a human being.
In July, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said that his mother carried his pregnancy for 12 months before his birth.
He ascribed the delay to the influence of some witches and wizards who gave his mother a tough time before God’s intervention.
However, in exclusive interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, the leading maternal health specialists, affirmed that since pregnancy was counted from the first day of the last menstrual period, women who stop menstruation for some months and later on ovulate and conceive, could have a challenge with accurate pregnancy dating.
The gynaecologists called for proper pregnancy education and urged every pregnant woman to register for antenatal care early and be regular with their appointments.
A former President of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria, Prof. Rotimi Akinola, stated that a normal pregnancy could not exceed 42 weeks.
He clarified that the claims of pregnancies lasting three to eight years could indicate that these women likely experienced menstrual irregularities, then suddenly ovulated and conceived, mistakenly calculating their pregnancy from the date of their last period.
“Oftentimes those who have that are people who have irregular periods. So when they are not pregnant, they think they are and we’ve had such occasions when they will insist. We count pregnancy from the last time you saw your period but it’s not always pregnancy that makes you not see your period,” the don said.
Continuing, Akinola said, “ Usually, if somebody has ovarian cancer and has plenty of fluid in the abdomen, it’s called ascites. They might not even be seeing their period simply because of the tumour. So they might think it’s pregnancy and it might last for a very long time, which is a possibility.
“Any tumour in the abdomen that makes the tummy big will appear like a pregnancy but an ultrasound scan will show that there is no baby there.”
The gynaecologist stated that such women needed to be operated on to remove the cysts.
He noted that some women in such conditions usually believed their spiritual leaders’ assurances that they were carrying a baby, noting that this fuelled late hospital presentations and an increase in mortality rate.
The gynaecologist called for more education, advocacy and information on health matters.
“We continue to educate people that not everything is spiritual. But some people who are even educated still fall for that because of being desperate to conceive.
“There’s something called pseudocyesis, false pregnancy that those who wish to be pregnant desperately, or those who fear pregnancy so much, then suddenly they don’t see their period, their tummy begins to grow and their breasts begin to be full but when you do a pregnancy test, it will be negative and a scan won’t show anything. They might stay like that for three or four years. It’s a psychiatric problem rather than a medical problem.
“It’s psychological because they believe so. So the brain is playing tricks with them. It usually lies within the purview of a psychiatrist or psychologist to treat them so that their system will get back to normal,” Akinola said.
Also, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Sokoto State, Abubakar Panti, noted that 40 weeks was the average timeline used scientifically to track and anticipate foetal development, and to plan health care.
“When a pregnancy goes beyond 42 weeks, it’s considered post-term. To give enough room for some people’s pregnancy that will be beyond that 42 weeks, that is why some people say, the highest 50 weeks. So by the time you say 50 weeks, you’ll be talking about 10 months pregnant which sometimes it can’t go beyond that,” Panti clarified.
The gynaecologist stated that claims of three to eight years of pregnancy were scientifically unfounded and medically impossible.
He added that when such claims arose, three types of explanation could be given.
“One is that when you have something called molar pregnancy or gestational trophoblastic disease. In rare cases, some pregnancies develop into abnormal forms known as gestational trophoblastic disease, which includes molar pregnancy. These conditions involve abnormal tissue growth in the uterus.
“Sometimes forming a mass that resembles a pregnancy but you may not see a viable uterus. So this may cause the uterus to enlarge, but they do not result in living, growing babies. So these masses usually need medical treatment, often surgical, and can persist for many years if not properly removed,” the fertility expert said.
He added that the other explanation was the myth and misunderstandings of abdominal masses such as abdominal tumours or cysts, which could grow and expand over time, causing symptoms similar to pregnancy.
He further said that such abdominal swellings and discomfort could be mistaken for pregnancy, especially in regions where access to medical imaging is limited.
Panti explained, “You can imagine somebody is carrying a huge fibroid, and then suddenly gets pregnant, where will you start counting from? You start counting from where you notice the mass.”
Continuing, the gynaecologist said, “A woman can just cease not to menstruate for more than a year and then instead of her menstruating, pregnancy just happened along the way. So where will she start counting that pregnancy? You start counting from when she was not pregnant.
“In some rare instances, the foetus can die in utero, like early in pregnancy, and instead of being expelled, it calcifies to form a phenomenon known as lithopedium, like stone pregnancies, stone baby and may be mistaken for a pregnancy lasting years because they are there and they pose no threat of delivering a living baby.
“The last one is usually a cultural and superstitious explanation. In some cultures, myths and misunderstandings about pregnancy can lead to extraordinary claims. This may be rooted in folklore or used to explain unusual medical conditions that aren’t fully understood within a community. However, from a scientific standpoint, this explanation does not reflect a true pregnancy. So the bottom line is that no human pregnancy can physiologically last for years.”
He asserted that claims of multi-year pregnancy were often due to misunderstanding and other medical conditions.
The don emphasised that placenta function began to decline after 42 weeks, noting that babies who stayed beyond such period may not survive.
Panti noted that these claims had serious implications for maternal mortality rates and safe delivery outcomes, particularly in settings where access to healthcare and accurate information was limited.
He added that the belief in prolonged pregnancy could cause other pregnant women to delay seeking medical intervention and prenatal care, exposing such mother and baby to risks of hypertension and diabetes in pregnancy and haemorrhage further increasing complications during labour.
The maternal health expert called for a multifaceted approach that combined education, healthcare access, community engagement and policy support to debunk myths about prolonged pregnancies and improve maternal health outcomes.
Panti advocated culturally sensitive educational programs chosen carefully and presented in local languages to address myths about pregnancy and make information about pregnancy timelines, prenatal care and common complications accessible and reliable.
News
Stop importation of fake fuel to Nigeria, professionals in Europe tell Tinubu
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe (ANPE), has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, as a matter of urgent national importance, stop the dumping of tainted Petroleum Products, otherwise known as fake fuel, being imported into the country.
Tinubu is the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, who doubles as the Minister of Petroleum Resources of the most populous African country, Nigeria, and a major player in oil production in the world.
Despite being major oil producer, Nigeria still battles with importation of refined products, which over 150m end users largely depend on. The nation’s refineries – Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt have remain in comatose, despite the many interventions of the present administration in billions of dollars.
Aside the allegation of frustrating the only viable local refinery, Dangote, the oil cabals have also been accused of encouraging importation of off-spec and adulterated products into the country, the allegations National Assembly Joint Committee is currently investigating.
In a press statement signed on Wednesday by the Global President of ANPE, Mr. Solomon Ola, the Nigerian Professionals in Europe are calling on President Tinubu to cause an urgent investigation of the recent trend of infiltrating the Nigeria’s market with product capable of putting lives of the people in great jeopardy.
The group warned that, “Importation of the sanctioned-tainted petrol into Nigeria would no doubt have diplomatic consequences, bearing in mind the sanctions that the Price Cap Coalition, comprising the European Union, the United States, the G7, and Australia, imposed on Russian-sourced crude and petroleum products”.
The statement read, “The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe (ANPE) has followed developments in Nigeria’s petroleum industry with concern, given the absurd positions being canvassed by some stakeholders regarding the safety of the country and citizens regarding the quality of products being retailed.
“ANPE has consequently decided to urge President Bola Tinubu, as a matter of national interest, to use his mandate as the country’s chief executive to halt the designation of Nigeria as a dumping ground for foreign-sourced tainted, adulterated, and questionable petroleum products.
“We are sad and alarmed by recent developments in Europe, from Russia to Malta and every part of Europe, our home country has become a lucrative destination for the dumping of adulterated petroleum products such as PMS popularly known as petrol, which industry experts have tagged as fake fuel.
“Our association is concerned that the petroleum products in question are still being dumped in Nigeria even after industry experts have warned about their substandard nature, which poses material and economic risks to Nigerians whose vehicles and equipment could be damaged by dirty fuel.
“Fake fuel also has negative implications for the environment in addition to the associated dangers that the fumes from these products pose to public health, a situation that the Nigerian government would find exceptionally challenging since such a health burden would further stretch already lean public finances.
“Importation of the sanctioned-tainted petrol into Nigeria would no doubt have diplomatic consequences, bearing in mind the sanctions that the Price Cap Coalition, comprising the European Union, the United States, the G7, and Australia, imposed on Russian-sourced crude and petroleum products. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Price Cap Coalition forbids transactions on crude oil and petroleum products of Russian Federation origin unless they are transacted at or below $60, a price band that the products imported into Nigeria routinely violate even when the products are of Russian origin.
“A third concern for our association is the absurdity of importing relatively pricier petrol into Nigeria when more affordable and quality options are available from local refineries. This insistence on flooding Nigeria with bad petrol is equally bad for the economy. It is actively sabotaging President Tinubu’s economic policy.
“Things have gone so awry that Nigeria has become the toast of European companies peddling these products, which cannot be sold in other African countries such as Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo, South Africa, Angola, Kenya and others. The collaborators of these European firms back in Nigeria collude to force these products on citizens of our dear nation for the sole purpose of profit-making.
“ANPE is consequently alerting Mr President and calling for caution while demanding that he directs the relevant authorities to urgently investigate and stop this illegal trade that places the nation and citizens in jeopardy”.
News
Indicators of hunger: N200 Sachets Of Rice Now In Nigerian Markets As Bag Hits Over N90k
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
In a bid to make rice more affordable for Nigerians, sachets of rice have been reintroduced into the market, following the surge in prices of the staple food.
The media learned that a 50kg bag of local rice now costs between N78,000 to N90,000 in the country, depending on the location and brand.
These values are higher than the average Nigerian’s monthly earnings.
The country’s minimum wage is now set at N70,000, and many institutions, both private and public, have yet to adopt it.
This situation, among other reasons, is why eating rice has been a luxury in many Nigerian households.
The media has further learnt that an indigenous rice producing company, Big Bull, has started manufacturing sachets of their products to enable Nigerian populations to eat rice.
The company fixed the price at N200 per sachet.
In July, a publication by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed continual increase in prices of food items.
According to the release, as of June 2024 , the average price of 1kg beans brown (sold loose) stood at N2,292.76.
This represents a rise of 252.13% in price on a year-on-year basis from N651.12 recorded in June 2023 and a 14.11% rise in price on a month-on-month basis from N2,009.23 in May 2024.
Also the price of Tomatoes (1kg) increased on a year by year basis, with a significant price of 320.67% from N547.28 in June of last year (2023) to N 2,302.26 in June 2024.
295.79% from N 510.77 in June 2023 to N 2,021.55 in May 2024.
On a month-on-month basis, it increased by 52.87% from N 1,322.36 in May 2024 to N 2,021.55 in June 2024.
The highest average price of 1kg of Tomato was recorded in Abuja at N3992.61 while the lowest was in Kebbi State at N1200.
Also 1kg of yam tuber sold highest in Lagos state at N 3,376.54, while Adamawa recorded the lowest price at N1100.
Gombe recorded the highest average price of 1kg Garri white sold loose at N 1,619.27, while the lowest was reported in Taraba at N900.
News
Army Checkpoint attacked by armed men in Abia, Claiming Lives of Two Soldiers
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Gunmen attacked an army checkpoint early on Wednesday at Ekenobizi, a border community between Abia and Imo states in Umuopara, Umuahia South Local Government Area, killing two soldiers.
A military source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the attack occurred around 6:18 am. The gunmen arrived in a white Lexus (350/400) model, although the exact number of attackers could not be confirmed.
Confirming the incident in a press release on Wednesday, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Unuakhalu of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA said: “In the early hours of today, 13 November 2024, troops of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, deployed at a checkpoint along the Umuahia – Owerri Road in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, came under attack by the irredentist group Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network.
During the attack, the gallant troops were able to repel the assault, forcing the attackers to retreat in disarray with gunshot wounds, abandoning one Sienna and one Lexus Jeep used in the attack. However, in the ensuing firefight, two soldiers paid the supreme price.”
The Joint Task Force appealed to residents of the South East, particularly those in Abia State, for credible information to help track down the fleeing attackers and combat criminal elements in the region.
The force reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property in line with global best practices and the rules of engagement.
(PUNCH)
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