NCERT Solutions

Reproductive health refers to the total well-being in all aspects of reproduction (physical, emotional, behavioral, and social). Its significance includes:

1. Control of Population: It helps in managing population growth through family planning and awareness of birth control.
2. Prevention of STDs: It reduces the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases like AIDS, Syphilis, and Gonorrhea.
3. Reduced Mortality: Proper care during pregnancy and delivery significantly reduces Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR).
4. Healthy Society: It leads to socially responsible citizens who can maintain healthy relationships and bring up healthy children.

• Sex Education: To dispel myths and misconceptions about sex-related topics in adolescents.
• Medical Facilities: Improving infrastructure for institutional deliveries and postnatal care.
• Awareness of STDs: Educating people about AIDS and other infections.
• Birth Control: Promoting the use of contraceptives to control population explosion.
• Ban on Sex Determination: Strict enforcement of laws against amniocentesis for female foeticide.
• Infertility Treatment: Making ART (IVF, ZIFT, etc.) accessible to infertile couples.

Yes, sex education is necessary in schools because:

1. It provides right information to the young so as to save them from myths and misconceptions.
2. It gives knowledge about reproductive organs, adolescence, and related changes.
3. It educates about safe and hygienic sexual practices.
4. It spreads awareness about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and AIDS.
5. It helps in preventing social evils like sex abuse and sex-related crimes.

Yes, there has been a significant improvement.

• Reduced Mortality: Significant decline in Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR).
• Better Awareness: Increased awareness about sex-related matters and use of contraceptives.
• Medical Assistance: Increase in medically assisted deliveries and better postnatal care.
• Population Control: Smaller families due to better adoption of family planning measures.
• Disease Control: Better detection and cure of STDs.

1. Decline in Death Rate: Rapid decline in death rate due to better medical facilities.
2. Decline in MMR and IMR: More mothers and infants surviving childbirth.
3. Increase in Reproducible Age Group: A large proportion of the population is in the reproductive age.
4. Lack of Education: Illiteracy leading to lack of awareness about family planning.
5. Social Customs: Early marriages and desire for a male child.

Yes, the use of contraceptives is fully justified.

• Population Control: It is the only effective way to check the rapid population growth.
• Maternal Health: Frequent pregnancies can deteriorate a woman’s health. Spacing children improves health.
• Economic Benefits: Smaller families can provide better education, food, and clothing to children.
• STD Prevention: Barrier methods like condoms protect against deadly diseases like AIDS.

• Contraception vs Sterilization: Contraception aims to prevent pregnancy without affecting the hormonal balance or sexual desire.
• Role of Gonads: Gonads (Testes and Ovaries) not only produce gametes but also secrete essential sex hormones (Testosterone, Estrogen) that maintain secondary sexual characters and bodily functions.
• Consequences: Removal of gonads leads to sterility but also causes severe hormonal imbalance, loss of sexual urge, and other health issues. Hence, it is not a suitable contraceptive method.

Yes, the ban is necessary.

• Prevention of Female Foeticide: Amniocentesis was being misused to find the sex of the foetus. If female, the foetus was often aborted (MTP). This led to a skewed sex ratio in India.
• Moral/Ethical Grounds: Killing a foetus simply because of its gender is unethical and a crime.
• Original Purpose: The technique is actually meant for detecting genetic disorders (like Down syndrome) in the foetus, not for sex determination.

These methods are collectively called Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART):

• IVF (In Vitro Fertilization): Fertilization outside the body (Test tube baby). Followed by Embryo Transfer (ET).
• ZIFT (Zygote Intra Fallopian Transfer): Zygote or early embryo (up to 8 blastomeres) transferred into fallopian tube.
• IUT (Intra Uterine Transfer): Embryo (>8 blastomeres) transferred into the uterus.
• GIFT (Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer): Transfer of an ovum collected from a donor into the fallopian tube of another female who cannot produce one but can provide suitable environment.
• ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection): Sperm is directly injected into the ovum.
• IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination): Semen is artificially introduced into the uterus (Artificial Insemination).

1. Avoid sex with unknown partners or multiple partners.
2. Always use condoms during coitus.
3. Avoid sharing needles and syringes (to prevent HIV/Hepatitis-B).
4. In case of doubt, consult a qualified doctor for early detection and complete treatment if diagnosed.

• (a) Abortions could happen spontaneously too. (True – 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 – Infertility can be due to male partner too).
• (c) Complete lactation could help as a natural method of contraception. (True – Lactational Amenorrhea).
• (d) Creating awareness about sex related aspects is an effective method to improve reproductive health of the people. (True).

• (a) Surgical methods of contraception prevent gamete formation.
  Correction: Surgical methods prevent gamete transport (not formation).
• (b) All sexually transmitted diseases are completely curable.
  Correction: Except for AIDS, Genital Herpes, and Hepatitis-B, other STDs are curable if detected early.
• (c) Oral pills are very popular contraceptives among the rural women.
  Correction: Oral pills are popular among urban women (though usage is spreading).
• (d) In E.T. techniques, embryos are always transferred into the uterus.
  Correction: Embryos are transferred into Fallopian tube (ZIFT) or Uterus (IUT) depending on the stage.