EXERCISES

Q1. What do you think is the significance of reproductive health in a society?
Answer: Reproductive health plays a vital role in ensuring the overall well-being of individuals and society. It covers physical, emotional, behavioural, and social aspects of reproduction. The significance of reproductive health can be understood as follows:

1. Physical Well-being: It ensures that individuals have healthy and properly functioning reproductive organs.
2. Emotional and Behavioural Balance: It promotes normal emotional and social interactions among people in all sex-related aspects.
3. Healthy Family Life: It helps in building socially conscious and healthy families of desired size.
4. Prevention of Reproductive Problems: It enables society to address and prevent issues such as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), infertility, and unwanted pregnancies.
5. Improved Public Health: It reduces maternal and infant mortality rates through awareness, education, and medical care.
6. Social Impact: A society with good reproductive health is stronger, healthier, and more aware, contributing to overall social and economic development.

Q2. Suggest the aspects of reproductive health which need to be given special attention in the present scenario.
Answer: In the present scenario, special attention should be given to:

1. Population control and family planning: Motivating smaller families using various contraceptive methods to check the rapid population growth rate.
2. Preventing STIs/STDs: Creating awareness and ensuring early detection and complete cure of Sexually Transmitted Infections, particularly among the vulnerable age group of 15–24 years.
3. Combating female foeticide and sex-related crimes: Creating awareness about social evils like sex abuse and sex-related crimes, and strictly enforcing the ban on sex determination (e.g., through amniocentesis) to check illegal female foeticides.
4. Providing safe MTP services: Reversing the trend of illegal abortions performed by unqualified practitioners, which are unsafe and potentially fatal.
5. Addressing infertility: Providing greater accessibility to specialized healthcare units and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) to help infertile couples have children.

Q3. Is sex education necessary in schools? Why?
Answer: Yes, sex education is necessary in schools. It is beacuse of the following reasons-

1. Provides right information: It provides accurate information about reproductive organs, adolescence, and related changes.
2. Discourages misconceptions: It helps to discourage children from believing in myths and having misconceptions about sex-related aspects.
3. Promotes health: It informs young people about safe and hygienic sexual practices, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), and AIDS. This is crucial for leading a reproductively healthy life.

Q4. Do you think that reproductive health in our country has improved in the past 50 years? If yes, mention some such areas of improvement.
Answer: Yes, reproductive health in India has improved significantly since the initiation of ‘family planning’ in 1951.

Some areas of improvement includes:

1. Reduced mortality rates: Decreased maternal mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) due to increased medically assisted deliveries and better post-natal care.
2. Increased awareness and small families: Better awareness about sex-related matters and an increased number of couples with small families (e.g., adopting the ‘one child norm’).
3. Contraception access and R&D: The availability of a wide range of contraceptive methods and the indigenous development of new options like ‘Saheli’ (a new oral contraceptive).
4. STD management: Better detection and cure of STDs.
5. Legal and medical framework: Legalisation of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) in 1971 (with strict conditions) and the development of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) for infertile couples.

Q5. What are the suggested reasons for population explosion?
Answer: The population explosion (e.g., world population reaching 6 billion by 2000 and 7.2 billion by 2011) is primarily due to:

1. Improved health and living conditions: All-round development and increased health facilities along with better living conditions, which reduced death rates.
2. Declining mortality rates: A rapid decline in death rate, maternal mortality rate (MMR), and infant mortality rate (IMR).
3. Increased reproductive age group: An increase in the number of people in the reproductive age group.

Q6. Is the use of contraceptives justified? Give reasons.
Answer: Yes, the use of contraceptives is absolutely justified.

Reasons for justification are:

1. Population control: It helps check the alarming and uncontrolled growth of the population, which otherwise could lead to a scarcity of basic requirements like food, shelter, and clothing.
2. Preventing unwanted pregnancies: Contraceptives help couples prevent unwanted pregnancies arising from casual unprotected intercourse, contraceptive failure, or rape.
3. Delaying/spacing pregnancies: They allow couples to delay or space pregnancies due to personal reasons, ensuring better maternal and child health.
4. STI/AIDS protection: Certain barrier methods like condoms provide an additional benefit of protecting the user from contracting STIs and AIDS.

Q7. Removal of gonads cannot be considered as a contraceptive option. Why?
Answer: Removal of gonads (testes or ovaries) cannot be considered a contraceptive method because contraception only aims to prevent pregnancy without harming normal health. Removing gonads causes a permanent loss of sex hormones, leading to serious physical and emotional problems. It is an irreversible procedure, whereas contraceptive methods should be safe, temporary, and reversible.

Q8. Amniocentesis for sex determination is banned in our country. Is this ban necessary? Comment.
Answer: Yes, the ban on amniocentesis for sex determination is fully justified because the technique, though originally meant for detecting genetic disorders in the foetus, was widely misused to identify the sex of the unborn child, leading to illegal female foeticide and a decline in the female population. This unethical practice not only endangered the health of mothers through unsafe abortions but also promoted gender discrimination and social imbalance. Therefore, the ban is essential to prevent misuse of medical technology, protect the girl child, and promote gender equality and social justice in society.

Q9. Suggest some methods to assist infertile couples to have children.
Answer: Infertile couples can be helped to have children through various Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). These methods assist in fertilisation or implantation when natural conception is not possible.

1. In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Embryo Transfer (ET):
   In this method, ova and sperms are collected and fused in a laboratory to form a zygote, commonly known as the “test tube baby” technique.

   • ZIFT (Zygote Intra Fallopian Transfer): The zygote or early embryo (up to 8 blastomeres) is transferred into the fallopian tube.

   • IUT (Intra Uterine Transfer): The embryo with more than 8 blastomeres is transferred directly into the uterus.

2. GIFT (Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer):
   In this method, an ovum from a donor is transferred into the fallopian tube of another female who can provide a suitable environment for fertilisation and development.
3. ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection):
   A single sperm is directly injected into an ovum to form an embryo, which is later implanted in the uterus.
4. Artificial Insemination (AI):
   Semen collected from the husband or a healthy donor is artificially introduced into the female’s vagina or uterus (IUI – Intra Uterine Insemination) to achieve fertilisation.
5. Alternative Method – Legal Adoption:
   Couples who cannot conceive even after using ART methods may choose adoption to start a family and provide a loving home to a child.

Q10. What are the measures one has to take to prevent from contracting STDs?
Answer: STIs or STDs can be avoided by following these principles:

1. Avoid sexual contact with unknown or multiple partners.
2. Always use condoms during coitus.
3. In case of any doubt or suspicion, consult a qualified doctor for early detection and treatment.

Q11. State True/False with explanation
(a) Abortions could happen spontaneously too. (True)
Explanation: MTP refers to intentional termination of pregnancy, implying that abortions can also occur naturally or spontaneously (miscarriage).

(b) Infertility is defined as the inability to produce a viable offspring and is always due to abnormalities/defects in the female partner. (False)
Explanation: Infertility can be due to problems in the male, female, or both. Often, the problem lies in the male partner.

(c) Complete lactation could help as a natural method of contraception. (True)
Explanation: This method, called Lactational Amenorrhea, is based on the fact that ovulation does not occur during the period of intense lactation following parturition.

(d) Creating awareness about sex-related aspects is an effective method to improve reproductive health of the people. (True)
Explanation: Creating awareness about reproductive organs, safe practices, STIs, and AIDS is a key step under RCH programmes.

Q12. Correct the following statements:
(a) Surgical methods of contraception prevent gamete formation.
Corrected Statement: Surgical methods of contraception prevent gamete transport.

(b) All sexually transmitted diseases are completely curable.
Corrected Statement: Most sexually transmitted diseases are curable if detected early, except hepatitis-B, genital herpes, and HIV infections.

(c) Oral pills are very popular contraceptives among the rural women.
Corrected Statement: Oral pills are very popular contraceptives among young, urban, working women.

(d) In E.T. techniques, embryos are always transferred into the uterus.
Corrected Statement: In E.T. techniques, early embryos (up to 8 blastomeres) are transferred into the fallopian tube (ZIFT), and embryos with more than 8 blastomeres are transferred into the uterus (IUT).