Q When will my periods come back? I had my first baby 8 weeks ago.

Siobhan, 26

A Congratulations on your new arrival! When your periods resume is dependent on you choice of breast or bottle feeding.

If you bottle feed, it can be sometime between five weeks to three months. However the suckling action of breastfeeding reduces the hormones that cause you to ovulate, and if you solely breast feed, it could take up to a year for your periods to return.

Some women use this as a form of contraception.

However, if you purely bottle feed, please be aware that you may be fertile as soon as three weeks after giving birth and hence if you do not wish to fall pregnant again this quickly, you will need some form of contraception.

Q My son has told me that he can’t pull back his foreskin at all. I went with him to the GP when he was a little boy and we were told it might solve on its own. He’s now 16 and mentioned it again.

Josephine

A It sounds like your son has a fixed foreskin, medically known as phimosis. While it may have been correct to watch and wait as a young boy in the hope that it would resolve, it is unlikely to do so on its own at this age.

A tight foreskin can cause problems with passing water, which would be noticed as ballooning of the foreskin and urine spraying rather than forming a smooth stream.

It can also cause pain on erection and sexual intercourse. It would be advisable to take your son to his GP to assess the situation.

He or she may then refer him on to a urologist (surgeon). The normal treatment of a phimosis in a case such as this would be circumcision.

If you have a question for Dr Zak, please email: askdoctorzak@gmail.com

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Dr Uddin’s advice is provided in good faith and in accordance with currently accepted evidence.

However, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

You should always seek the advice of a GP, or other qualified health provider, regarding a medical condition.