What are kidney stones?

Some weeks ago, I read an article about kidney stones on the back page of a newspaper  but it was too brief. Please shed more light on it for me. Anita N. Kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in the kidney out of substances in the urine. A stone may stay […]

Some weeks ago, I read an article about kidney stones on the back page of a newspaper  but it was too brief. Please shed more light on it for me.
Anita N.

Kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in the kidney out of substances in the urine. A stone may stay in the kidney or break loose and travel down the urinary tract. A small stone may pass all the way out of the body without causing too much pain. A larger stone may get stuck in the ureter, the bladder, or the urethra. A stone can block the flow of urine and cause great pain.
Symptoms
1.    Extreme pain in your back or side that will not go away.
2.    Blood in your urine.
3.    Fever and chills.
4.    Vomiting
5.    Urine that smells bad or looks cloudy.
6.    A burning feeling when you urinate.
Major types of kidney stones
1.    The most common type of stone contains calcium. The chemical agent is a normal part of a healthy diet.
2.    A Struvite stone may form after an infection in the urinary system. These stones contain the mineral magnesium and the waste product ammonia.
3.    A uric acid stone may form when there is too much acid in the urine.
4.    Cystine stones are rare. Cystine is one of the building blocks that make up muscles, nerves, and other parts of the body.
Treatment
1.    Shock  waves (use of a machine that sends shock waves directly to the kidney stone, breaks a large stone and passes it in the urine).
2.    Tunnel surgery (a small cut into the patient’s back and makes a narrow tunnel through the skin to the stone inside the kidney. With a special instrument that goes through the tunnel, it is found and removed. (The technical name for this method is percutaneous nephrolithotomy).
3. Ureteroscope (A ureteroscope looks like a long wire. It is inserted into the patient’s urethra then to the bladder, and directs it to the ureter where the stone is located. The ureteroscope has a camera  that views the stone. A cage is used to catch the stone and pull it out , or destroy it with a device inserted through the ureteroscope.
Prevention
1. Drinking a lot of water when eating and between meals helps to flush away substances that form stones.
2. Also drink ginger, lemon-lime sodas and fruit juices. Limiting intake of  coffee, tea, and cola.
3. Cut down on some foods such as meat.

What is premature ovulation failure?
I was diagnosed with premature ovulation failure. This happened after many infertility tests. Please what is it?
Janet B.

Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) is defined as the “cessation of ovarian function prior to the age of 40 years   It is diagnosed in women under age 40 when ovarian function ceases, resulting in an end or pause in menstruation, a decline in the production of estrogen  ( hormone ) and eggs, resulting in infertility.”
Women may experience infertility, hot flashes, the absence of menses, night sweats, irritability, moodiness, sleep disturbance, decreased libido, hair coarseness, and vaginal dryness. POF also manifests as intermittent ovarian failure, where the woman may miss her menstrual periods several consecutive months, and then have her menstrual period return spontaneously. Early indications of premature ovarian failure include menstrual cycles less than 21 days in length, very infrequent or light menstrual periods, and the absence or cessation of menstruation.
What causes a young woman to have premature ovarian failure?
Unfortunately, in the majority of cases, the cause is idiopathic (unknown), genetic, environmental, and autoimmune etiologies have been associated with POF.
How is POF treated?
There are a variety of hormone replacement regimens available that can be used along with different routes of administration based on patient preference and the response to therapy.