Lesson 10 of 10 · 13 min
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Must-know facts
20 facts
- 01WHO: reproductive health is total well-being in physical, emotional, behavioural and social aspects of reproduction.
- 02India's family planning programmes began in 1951; today's broader ones are the RCH programmes.
- 03Amniocentesis tests amniotic fluid for genetic disorders; its use for sex determination is banned by law.
- 04Saheli: once-a-week, non-steroidal oral pill for females, developed at CDRI Lucknow.
- 05India: about 350 million at Independence, over 1.2 billion by May 2011; 2011 growth rate below 2% (20/1000/year).
- 06Legal marriageable age: 18 years for females, 21 years for males.
- 07Periodic abstinence avoids days 10-17 of the cycle, the fertile period.
- 08Lactational amenorrhea works only while the mother breast-feeds fully, up to at most six months after parturition.
- 09Condoms (e.g. Nirodh) also protect against STIs and AIDS; diaphragms, cervical caps and vaults cover the cervix and are reusable.
- 10IUDs: non-medicated (Lippes loop), copper (CuT, Cu7, Multiload 375), hormonal (Progestasert, LNG-20).
- 11IUDs raise phagocytosis of sperms; Cu ions cut sperm motility and fertilising capacity; hormone IUDs also block implantation and make the cervix hostile.
- 12Pills: progestogen or progestogen-estrogen, 21 days from within the first five days of the cycle, then a 7-day gap; they inhibit ovulation and implantation and alter cervical mucus.
- 13Emergency contraception: hormones or an IUD within 72 hours of coitus.
- 14Vasectomy cuts or ties the vas deferens; tubectomy cuts or ties the fallopian tube; both block gamete transport and are poorly reversible.
- 15India legalised MTP in 1971; up to 12 weeks needs one registered medical practitioner, 12-24 weeks needs two.
- 16MTP is relatively safe only in the first trimester (up to 12 weeks).
- 17Hepatitis-B, genital herpes and HIV are the STIs that are not completely curable; the rest are, if caught early.
- 18STI incidence is very high in the 15-24 years age group; complications include PID, still births, ectopic pregnancy, infertility and reproductive tract cancer.
- 19Infertility: no children after 2 years of unprotected cohabitation.
- 20ZIFT: zygote or embryo up to 8 blastomeres into the fallopian tube; IUT: more than 8 blastomeres into the uterus; GIFT: donor ovum into the fallopian tube; ICSI: sperm injected into the ovum; IUI: semen into the uterus.
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Key terms
20 terms
- Reproductive health
- Total well-being in all aspects of reproduction: physical, emotional, behavioural and social (WHO).
- RCH programmes
- Reproductive and Child Health Care programmes, the wider successors of India's family planning programmes.
- Amniocentesis
- Drawing some amniotic fluid to study foetal cells and dissolved substances for genetic disorders; banned for sex determination.
- MMR and IMR
- Maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate; their fall helped cause the population rise.
- Fertile period
- Days 10 to 17 of the menstrual cycle, when ovulation is expected and fertilisation is most likely.
- Coitus interruptus
- Withdrawal: the penis is withdrawn just before ejaculation to avoid insemination.
- Lactational amenorrhea
- Absence of menstruation during intense breast-feeding after birth; a natural method effective up to six months.
- Barrier method
- A contraceptive that physically keeps ovum and sperms apart, such as a condom, diaphragm, cervical cap or vault.
- IUD
- Intra-uterine device placed in the uterus through the vagina; non-medicated, copper-releasing or hormone-releasing.
- Oral pill
- Small doses of progestogens or progestogen-estrogen taken daily for 21 days; inhibits ovulation and implantation.
- Emergency contraception
- Hormones or an IUD used within 72 hours of coitus to avoid a possible pregnancy.
- Vasectomy
- Male sterilisation: a small part of the vas deferens removed or tied through a small cut in the scrotum.
- Tubectomy
- Female sterilisation: a small part of the fallopian tube removed or tied through the abdomen or vagina.
- MTP
- Medical termination of pregnancy: intentional ending of a pregnancy before full term; induced abortion.
- STI
- Sexually transmitted infection, also called venereal disease (VD) or reproductive tract infection (RTI).
- PID
- Pelvic inflammatory disease, a complication of untreated STIs.
- Infertility
- Inability to conceive or produce children after 2 years of unprotected sexual cohabitation.
- ART
- Assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF-ET, ZIFT, IUT, GIFT, ICSI and AI/IUI.
- ZIFT
- Zygote intra fallopian transfer: a zygote or embryo of up to 8 blastomeres placed in the fallopian tube.
- GIFT
- Gamete intra fallopian transfer: a donor ovum placed in the fallopian tube of a female who cannot produce ova.