News
30% of women who have Fibroids show symptoms of heavy periods- Dr Koby Appiah Sakyi
The Associate Professor of Medicine and CEO of Brittannia Medical Centre, Dr Koby Appiah Sakyi, has disclosed that only 30 percent of women who have fibroids show symptoms, with heavy, prolonged and painful periods being the most common.
According to Dr Sakyi, fibroids are non-cancerous growths in or around the womb that many women may have without knowing.
He stated that seven out of ten women will develop fibroids during their lifetime, but most of them, about 50 to 60 percent, do not show any signs.
“Many women only discover they have fibroids when they get pregnant and go for a scan,” he said.
He explained that for the few women who experience symptoms, the clearest warning sign is a change in their menstrual cycle.
“If your period was normally four to five days and now it lasts seven days, you bleed heavily, change pads quickly or soak yourself at night or during work, then it’s time to get checked. You may have developed fibroids,” he advised.
Dr. Sakyi added that fibroids can also cause pain during sex, a swollen lower abdomen that looks like a pregnancy, and difficulty in getting pregnant.
He added that in some cases, fibroids can lead to miscarriages or make it necessary for a woman to deliver by caesarean section because of where the fibroid is located.
He warned that women with a family history of fibroids, especially if their mother, sister or aunt has had them, are three times more likely to develop fibroids themselves.
Although the exact cause of fibroids is still not fully understood, Dr Sakyi said there may be a link to obesity, poor diet and certain lifestyle habits.
However, he noted that the scientific evidence supporting these links is not yet strong.
He encouraged women to pay attention to changes in their bodies and go for medical checkups, especially if they notice abnormal bleeding or have trouble conceiving.
By Jacob Aggrey
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
