Chapter 4: Reproductive Health

Ans: Some of the steps which should be followed to improve the reproductive health standards in India are given as follows: 

1. By providing the proper education to girls and boys right from the school level to make them aware of the reproduction-related aspects. 

2. By preventing child marriage. 

3. By the prevention of female feticide. 

4. By the strict regulation and monitoring of MTP.

5. By distributing free contraceptives to poor people. 

6. By the good network of the healthcare workers up to the small villages. 

Ans: No, the transfer of gametes to the uterus will not give the same result. To understand this, we need to recall the process starting from the insemination till the implantation. This happens in the following stages: After ovulation, the ovum enters the fallopian tube. The sperm needs to reach the ampulla in order to fertilize the eggs. The fertilization cannot happen inside the uterus. After the process of fertilization, the zygote undergoes several rounds of mitosis for the production of the blastocyst. All these developments take place inside the ampulla and the isthmus of the fallopian tube. The blastocyst then goes to the uterus where the process of implantation takes place. Therefore the GIFT involves the transfer of the female gamete to the fallopian tube rather than to the uterus. 

Ans: The IUDs induce phagocytosis of sperms and hence prevent conception. The non-medicated IUDs such as the Lippies loop work on this concept. The copper ions-releasing IUDs give some add-on benefits apart from the normal effect of IUDs. The copper ions suppress sperm motility. Therefore the sperms are unable to reach the fallopian tube. In the case of the non-medicated IUDs, some of the sperms may be able to reach the fallopian tube and by this, the failure rate of IUDs can increase. Therefore the copper ions-releasing IUDs are more efficient than that of the non-medicated methods. 

Ans: Many of the factors have contributed to the population explosion in India. 

Some of them are given as follows: 

1. The prevalence of underage marriage.

2. Having children is considered a necessary obligation from the religious and social perspective. A childless couple often has to face many of the social stigmas. 

3. The illiteracy and lack of awareness was a major factor in the big size of the families. 

4. More children are seen as assets because they could contribute to farm work and in other economic activities. 

Ans: The IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) is a technique in which the sperm from the male (or donor) and the ovum from the female (or donor) are taken out. The ovum is then fertilized in the laboratory; usually in the petri dish. The ET (Embryo Transfer) is the next procedure after the IVF. The embryo having up to 8 blastomere stages is transferred to the fallopian tube. The embryo having more than 8 blastomeres is transferred to the uterus. Because the technique involves carrying out fertilization and some development of zygote in the laboratory, therefore, the babies born out of this method are often called the test tube babies. These methods are the parts of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). These methods are employed when the medical treatment and the psychotherapy may have failed in helping the couple in the conception. These methods require a very high degree of perfection and can only be carried out by highly specialized doctors. Also, employing these technologies requires costly equipment. Therefore the facilities for the IVF or ET are available only at the selected centers across the country. 

Ans: The advantages of the natural methods of contraception over artificial methods are given as follows:

1. They are very cost-effective.

2. They do not have any side effects. 

3. There is no disturbance in the normal sexual life of the couple.

Ans: The conditions in which medical termination of pregnancy is advised are given as follows:

1. If there is a risk to the pregnant lady or to the fetus.

2. When the fetus has some of the teratogenic defects.

3. If it is a case of an unwanted pregnancy that may be due to unsafe coitus.

Ans: An ideal contraceptive should have the following features: 

1. They should be cost-effective.

2. They should be easier to use. 

3. They should have no side effects.

4. They should not interfere during normal sexual activity.

Ans: All Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs) can be transmitted from one person to another one through copulation and therefore all the RTIs are STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases). But there are some STDs that may not affect the reproductive system at all such as AIDS and Hepatitis B. Hence, all STDs need not be RTIs.