Reproductive Health

Define the term Reproductive Health:

It is defined as total well-being in all aspects of reproduction i.e., physical, emotional, behavioral, and social.

A society of people having physically and functionally normal reproductive organs and normal emotional and behavioral interactions among them in all sex-related aspects is known as reproductively healthy.

Give your comments on the Significance of Reproductive Health in Society:

Reproductive health means total well-being in all aspects of reproduction. The government has launched various programmes at the national level like family planning and reproductive and child health care (RCH) to attain total reproductive health as a social goal. This has resulted in creating awareness among the people about various reproduction-related aspects and providing facilities and support for building up a reproductive healthy society.

Is sex education necessary in schools? If so, why?

Sex education in schools is very necessary as it imparts the right information to the students to save them from myths and misconceptions about sex-related aspects. Sex education gives proper information about reproductive organs, adolescence, and related changes, safe and hygienic sexual practices, and sexually transmitted diseases, and helps students especially in adolescents age to lead healthy reproductive lives.

Suggest the aspects of reproductive health that need to be given special attention in the present scenario:

These are:

(1) Family planning has to be given special attention as the population of the world is increasing tremendously.

(2) Creating awareness in reproductive and child health care.

(3) Counselling and creating awareness among people about reproductive organs, adolescence, safe and hygienic sexual practices, sexually transmitted diseases, and AIDS.

(4) Educating people about available birth control options, care of pregnant mothers, etc.

(5) Awareness of problems due to uncontrolled population growth, social evils like sex abuses and sex-related crimes, etc.

What is amniocentesis? Under what conditions is this a useful technique?

Amniocentesis is a technique that is helpful in detecting genetic abnormalities in the developing foetus.

The uterus contains amniotic fluid that surrounds the developing foetus. A sample of amniotic fluid is drawn out from the mother’s womb by a hypodermic needle. The amniotic fluid contains cells and molecules shed by the foetus. These foetal cells present in this fluid are cultured for chromosomal analysis to find out defects like Down’s syndrome and spinal bifida, etc. This is also helpful in knowing the sex of the child in advance.

However, this technique is missed by knowing the sex of the child as female fetuses are aborted by some parents.

Amniocentesis, the fetal sex determination test is banned in our country. Is it necessary? Comment.

The fetal sex determination test (Amniocentesis) is banned in our country as some parents misuse this test. These parents, on knowing the sex of the child as female, abort them. Ultimately, this has reduced the ratio of females as compared to the males in our country. Otherwise, this technique is very helpful in detecting genetic abnormalities in the developing foetus.

In this present scenario, it is justified to ban this test.