Q: My wife is suffering from purpura as told by one physician and when she consulted a skin specialist he said it is due to some allergy. Tiny red spots appear near the ankles and are spreading to the thighs also. One or two spots appeared on the hand too. Thay remain for 5-10 days and disappear. There is itching and irritation also. We have been married for 2 years now and we do not have a child yet, although we have not used any of medicines or condoms. I have sluggishly motile sperm (70%) and 30% non-motile sperm count. Could you please let me know what does that mean and whether I can father a child even if I dont have actively motile sperms? My wife did not menstruate as her period was pushed to more than 50 days last time. She is not taking any medicines. When her scanning was done, cysts were detected and the doctor says this disease could be because of some allergy. Actually, the problem still persists and it disappears even if she does not take any medicine. Could you help in finding what this disease could be and to which specialist should my wife consult in future?

A:Let me assure you that you certainly can father a child. After all you need only one sperm for fertilising the ovum. Nature has taken this abundant precaution by giving us millions of sperms per discharge. Sluggishly motile sperms do not mean they are dead and cannot fertilise the ovum. So quit worrying on that score. I wish you all the luck. Since your wife also has problem of cysts - I assume you mean Ovarian cysts - she should be seen by a gynaecologist. Cysts are not due to allergy. I cannot advise you about purpura but I think you should continue to consult with a dermatologist for that.