Question and Answer:

Question 1.
What do you think is the significance of reproductive health in a society?
Answer:
The significance of reproductive health in a society is:

1. Creating awareness among people about various reproduction-related aspects.
2. Providing facilities and support for building up a reproductively healthy society.
3. Ensuring safe delivery of infants and providing proper postnatal care through various health centres.
4. Immunising infants against various diseases.
5. Promoting family planning techniques and preventive methods against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
6. Creating awareness about the consequences of uncontrolled population growth and social evils such as sex abuse, sex-related crimes, and the use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol.
7. Introducing sex education in schools to provide correct information and remove misconceptions about sex-related topics.

Question 2.
Suggest the aspects of reproductive health which need to be given special attention in the present scenario.
Answer:
Increased health facilities along with better living conditions have led to a rapid growth of population. In this light, special attention should be given to controlling the population explosion and minimizing the birth rate. Otherwise, there will be an absolute scarcity of basic requirements such as food, shelter, and clothing.

Hence, awareness about family planning methods, use of contraceptives, and education on reproductive health is essential to maintain a stable and healthy society.

Question 3.
Is sex education necessary in schools? Why?
Answer:
Sex education is necessary in schools in order to give the right information to young minds about reproductive organs, adolescence-related changes, safe sexual practices, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). All this knowledge helps them to overcome myths and misconceptions about sex-related aspects and enables them to lead a reproductively healthy and responsible life in the future.

Question 4.
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. Some such areas of improvement are the following:

1. Awareness has been created among people about reproduction-related aspects through audiovisual and printed media by governmental as well as non-governmental agencies.
2. People are being motivated to have smaller families by using various contraceptive methods.
3. Incentives are provided to couples who adopt small family norms.
4. Specialized health care units, such as infertility clinics, have been established to help couples suffering from infertility through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART).

Question 5.
What are the suggested reasons for population explosion?
Answer:
The reasons for the population explosion are:

1. Decline in death rate.
2. Decline in maternal mortality rate.
3. Decline in infant mortality rate (IMR).
4. Increase in the number of people in the reproductive age group.
5. Advancement in technology that has helped to avoid deaths due to hunger and diseases.

Question 6.
Is the use of contraceptives justified? Give reasons.
Answer:
Yes, the use of contraceptives is justified. An ideal contraceptive should be user-friendly, easily available, effective, and reversible with no or least side effects. It should not interfere with the sexual drive, desire, or act of the user. Therefore, the use of contraceptives is advisable to check population explosion and maintain reproductive health in society.

Question 7.
Removal of gonads cannot be considered as a contraceptive option. Why?
Answer:
Removal of gonads cannot be considered a contraceptive option because it is an irreversible process and leads to a loss of essential hormones like testosterone and estrogen, which are necessary for normal body functions and sexual health. Such removal would cause serious physiological and psychological side effects. Contraceptive methods should be safe, reversible, and should not affect the body’s normal hormonal balance.

Question 8.
Amniocentesis for sex determination is banned in our country. Is this ban necessary? Comment.
Answer:
Yes, the ban on amniocentesis for sex determination is absolutely necessary. This technique, which was originally developed to detect genetic and chromosomal disorders in the foetus, was being misused for sex determination and female foeticide. Such practices have led to an alarming decline in the female population in many parts of the country. Therefore, the ban helps to prevent gender discrimination, protect the girl child, and promote social balance.

Question 9.
Suggest some methods to assist infertile couples to have children.
Answer:
Some methods to assist infertile couples to have children are:

1. Test Tube Babies: In this method, the fusion of ovum and sperm is done outside the body of a woman to form a zygote, which is allowed to divide and form an embryo. The embryo is then implanted in the uterus where it develops into a foetus.
2. Artificial Insemination Technique (AIT): In this method, semen collected either from the husband or a healthy donor is artificially introduced into the vagina or the uterus (Intra Uterine Insemination – IUI) of the female.
3. Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer (GIFT): This method is used for females who cannot produce ova but can provide a suitable environment for fertilization and embryo development in the oviducts. In such cases, ova from a donor female are introduced into the fallopian tube of the woman.
4. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): A specialized technique where a sperm is directly injected into an ovum placed in a nutrient medium. The zygote or early embryo is then transferred to the fallopian tube of the woman by Zygote Intra Fallopian Transfer (ZIFT).

Question 10.
What are the measures one has to take to prevent from contracting STDs?
Answer:
The measures to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are:

1. Avoid sex with unknown or multiple partners.
2. Always use condoms during sexual intercourse.
3. Avoid early or late marriages.
4. Go for early detection and take complete treatment in case of any doubt or symptoms.

Question 11.
State True/False with explanation
(a) Abortions could happen spontaneously too. (True/False)
(b) Infertility is defined as the inability to produce a viable offspring and is always due to abnormalities/defects in the female partner. (True/False)
(c) Complete lactation could help as a natural method of contraception. (True/False)
(d) Creating awareness about sex related aspects is an effective method to improve reproductive health of the people. (True/False)
Answer:
(a) Abortions could happen spontaneously too. – True
Explanation: Abortions can occur naturally due to internal factors such as chromosomal abnormalities, hormonal imbalance, or improper implantation of the embryo. Such abortions are called spontaneous abortions or miscarriages.

(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 may be caused by abnormalities in either the male or the female partner, or both. It is not always due to defects in the female partner.

(c) Complete lactation could help as a natural method of contraception. – True
Explanation: During complete lactation, ovulation is suppressed due to high levels of prolactin, which prevents conception. This method is known as lactational amenorrhea and works effectively for about six months after childbirth.

(d) Creating awareness about sex-related aspects is an effective method to improve reproductive health of the people. – True
Explanation: Proper sex education and awareness help people understand reproductive health, avoid STDs, prevent unwanted pregnancies, and promote responsible behavior, thereby improving the overall reproductive health of society.

Question 12.
Correct the following statements :
(a) Surgical methods of contraception prevent gamete formation.
(b) All sexually transmitted diseases are completely curable.
(c) Oral pills are very popular contraceptives among the rural women.
(d) In E. T. techniques, embryos are always transferred into the uterus
Answer:
a. Surgical methods of contraception prevent gamete formation.
Correction: Surgical methods of contraception prevent unwanted pregnancy by blocking the transport of gametes, not their formation.

1. All sexually transmitted diseases are completely curable.
   Correction: Except for hepatitis B, genital herpes, and HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases are completely curable if detected early and treated properly.
2. Oral pills are very popular contraceptives among rural women.
   Correction: Oral pills are very popular contraceptives among women, especially in urban areas.
3. In E.T. techniques, embryos are always transferred into the uterus.
   Correction: In E.T. (Embryo Transfer) techniques, embryos formed by IVF (in vitro fertilisation) are transferred into the uterus at the appropriate stage of development.