108 The Australian Women’s Weekly|OCTOBER 2019
PHOTOGRAPHY BY YIANNI ASPRADAKIS (PROFESSOR PHELPS) AND GETTY IMAGES.DIDYOU
KNOW?If youhavea questionfor
ProfessorKerrynPhelps,
writeto:
AskTheDoctor,
POBox92512,Wellesley
Street,Auckland 1141
oremailawweditor@
bauermedia.co.nz;
subjectQ&A.
Letterscannotbe
answered personally.HAVEA
QUESTION?Q
WhenI hadmyfirstbaby,I was
toldI onlyneededtoeatan
extra 100 caloriesa day.Is that
stillcommonadvice?I’mpregnantagain
andravenous!T.T.
Yourenergyneedswillincreaseasyour
pregnancyprogresses.Qualitynutritionis
essentialforyourbaby.Seea dieticianto
makea mealplantomaintaina healthy
weightgainandnotfeel like you are
starving yourself.Ask the
doctor
WithPROFESSOR KERRYN PHELPSQ
Sixmonthsago,
I gota huge
haematomaon
mylegaftera fall.I’m
planninga long-haulflight
andI haveheardthiscan
causebloodclots.Doyou
haveanyadvice?M.G.
Thehaematomais not
relatedtoa bloodclot
(deepveinthrombosisor
DVT), whichcanbecaused
bylongperiodsofsitting,
suchasa longplaneflight.
Toreduceyourriskof
DVT,wearcompression
stockings,movearound
regularly,avoidcrossing
yourlegs,wearloose
clothing,keepyourfluids
up and avoid alcohol.Q
I hada clotfrom
kneetogroinafter
beinghospitalised.
I injectedheparindailyfor
fourweekstodissolveit.Two
monthslater,it’scomingback.
ShouldI havetheveinstripped
orlasered?S.B.
Seekurgentmedicalattention
if yoususpectanotherblood
clot, beforeit breaksoffand
travelstoyourlungs(a pulmonary
embolism).Yourdoctorwill
arrangetestingforcausesof
thrombophilia(tendencytoform
clots)suchastheinheritedFactor
V Leidengenemutation.It’s likely
you’ll needlong-termmedication
forblood-clot prevention.Q
I haveblackhairs
growingonmy
face.Is laserhair
removalsafe?L.S.
In skilledhands,complications
fromlaserhairremovalarerare,
butsuperficialburns,blistering,
pigmentationchangesandeven
scarringcanoccur.You’ll usually
needmultipletreatmentsand
possiblymaintenance treatments.Q
Wesometimeshave
ourhousesprayedfor
spidersandcockroaches
in summer.I’mtoldthesprayis
a naturalflowerextractandis
riskfree.Is thattrue?J.K.
Thismaybepyrethrin, whichis
extractedfroma flowerbutis not
riskfree.Exposuretopyrethrumin
highlevelsmaycausesymptoms
suchaswheezing,sneezing,nasal
stuffiness,headache,nauseaand
nervous-system problems.Anxietyis oneof
ourmostcommon
mental-health
disorders,affecting 25
percentofusatsome
point– womenmore
oftenthanmen.If
you’reanxious,a
psychologistmaybe
abletohelpyou
understandwhyand
offerstrategiesto
workthroughit. Your
GPcanarrangea
referralandassessif
medication is needed.Medical Q&A
Q
Myfingernails
usedtobestrong
butnowthey’re
chippingandpeeling.
Myfriendssayit’sdue
tomyosteoporosis.
Is thistrue?B.N.
Brittlenailsarenotrelated
toosteoporosis.There’s little
calciumin thenailandit
doesnotcontributetonail
hardness.Repeatedwetting
anddryingcanleadtothe
changesyoudescribe.Other
chemicals,detergentsand
alkaliscanalsocausebrittle
nails.Avoidmoistureand
traumabywearinggloves.
Oralbiotincanhelp,andnail
moisturisersareprobably
better than nail hardeners.