Short & Long Answer Questions: Reproductive Health | Biology Class 12 - NEET PDF Download

Short Answer Questions

Q1: What is meant by reproductive health according to WHO?
Ans: Reproductive health, as defined by WHO, refers to total well-being in all aspects of reproduction, including physical, emotional, behavioural, and social dimensions.

Q2: Name the programme initiated in India in 1951 to promote reproductive health.
Ans: The programme initiated in 1951 was called ‘family planning’.

Q3: Why is sex education important in schools?
Ans: Sex education provides accurate information about reproductive organs, adolescence, safe sexual practices, and STIs, helping young people avoid myths and misconceptions for a reproductively healthy life.  

Q4: What is the purpose of amniocentesis?
Ans: Amniocentesis tests fetal cells in amniotic fluid to detect genetic disorders like Down’s syndrome, haemophilia, or sickle-cell anaemia and assess fetal survivability.  

Q5: Name two reasons for the population explosion in India.
Ans: A rapid decline in death rate, maternal mortality rate (MMR), and infant mortality rate (IMR), along with an increase in people of reproductive age, contribute to population explosion.  

Q6: What is lactational amenorrhea, and how does it act as a contraceptive?
Ans: Lactational amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation during intense breastfeeding, preventing ovulation and conception for up to six months post-parturition.  

Q7: How do copper-releasing IUDs prevent conception?
Ans: Copper-releasing IUDs (e.g., CuT) increase phagocytosis of sperms, suppress sperm motility, and reduce their fertilizing capacity due to copper ions.  

Q8: Why is MTP legalized in India with strict conditions?
Ans: MTP is legalized to prevent unwanted pregnancies and protect maternal or fetal health, with strict conditions to avoid misuse, such as illegal female foeticides.  

Q9: Name three STIs that are curable if detected early.
Ans: Gonorrhoea, syphilis, and chlamydiasis are curable STIs if detected and treated early.

Q10: What is the purpose of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in treating infertility?
Ans: IVF involves fertilizing an ovum with sperm outside the body to form a zygote, which is transferred to the female’s reproductive tract to assist infertile couples in having children.  

Long Answer Questions

Q1: Explain the significance of reproductive health and the strategies adopted in India to achieve it.
Ans: Reproductive health encompasses physical, emotional, behavioural, and social well-being in all reproduction-related aspects, crucial for a healthy society. India initiated family planning in 1951, evolving into Reproductive and Child Health Care (RCH) programmes. Strategies include:  

• Awareness campaigns: Using audio-visual and print media, along with roles of parents, teachers, and schools, to educate about reproductive organs, safe sexual practices, STIs, and birth control.  
• Medical facilities: Providing care for pregnancy, delivery, STIs, contraception, and infertility through strong infrastructure and professional expertise.  
• Legislative measures: Banning amniocentesis for sex determination to curb female foeticides and promoting child immunization.  
• Research support: Encouraging development of contraceptives like ‘Saheli’ by CDRI, Lucknow. These efforts have reduced maternal and infant mortality, improved STI detection, and increased small-family adoption, enhancing societal reproductive health.

Q2: Discuss the reasons for population explosion and the contraceptive methods used to control it.
Ans: Population explosion results from a rapid decline in death rate, maternal mortality rate (MMR), and infant mortality rate (IMR), coupled with more people in reproductive age. India’s population grew from 350 million in 1947 to over 1.2 billion by 2011. To control this, contraceptive methods include:  

• Natural methods: Periodic abstinence (avoiding coitus on days 10-17), withdrawal, and lactational amenorrhea (effective up to six months post-parturition).  
• Barrier methods: Condoms, diaphragms, and cervical caps prevent sperm-ovum meeting, with condoms also protecting against STIs.  
• IUDs: Copper-releasing (e.g., CuT) and hormone-releasing IUDs (e.g., LNG-20) suppress sperm motility and prevent implantation.  
• Oral contraceptives: Progestogen or progestogen-estrogen pills (e.g., Saheli) inhibit ovulation and alter cervical mucus.  
• Injectables/Implants: Long-acting progestogen-based methods prevent ovulation.  
• Surgical methods: Vasectomy (male) and tubectomy (female) block gamete transport. These methods, promoted with slogans like “Hum Do Hamare Do,” aim for smaller families, though side effects like nausea or irregular bleeding may occur.

Q3: Describe the various types of contraceptives and their characteristics for effective use.
Ans: Contraceptives prevent unwanted pregnancies and should be user-friendly, effective, reversible, and have minimal side effects. Types include:  

• Natural/Traditional: Periodic abstinence avoids coitus during the fertile period (days 10-17); withdrawal prevents insemination; lactational amenorrhea prevents ovulation during breastfeeding (up to six months). These have no side effects but high failure rates.  
• Barriers: Male/female condoms, diaphragms, and cervical caps block sperm entry. Condoms also prevent STIs. They are disposable or reusable, with spermicides enhancing efficacy.  
• IUDs: Non-medicated (e.g., Lippes loop), copper-releasing (e.g., CuT), and hormone-releasing (e.g., Progestasert) IUDs prevent sperm fertilization and implantation. They are long-term and widely used in India.  
• Oral Pills: Progestogen or combination pills (e.g., Saheli) inhibit ovulation and alter cervical mucus, taken daily for 21 days.  
• Injectables/Implants: Progestogen-based, long-acting contraceptives with similar action to pills.  
• Surgical: Vasectomy and tubectomy block gamete transport, highly effective but poorly reversible. Contraceptive choice requires medical consultation to balance efficacy and potential side effects like nausea or irregular bleeding.

Q4: What is Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP)? Discuss its purpose, safety, and legal aspects in India.
Ans: Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) is the intentional termination of pregnancy before full term, also called induced abortion. Its purposes include eliminating unwanted pregnancies from unprotected intercourse, contraceptive failure, or rape, and preventing harm to the mother or fetus when continuation is risky. MTP is safest in the first trimester (up to 12 weeks); second-trimester procedures are riskier. India legalized MTP in 1971 with strict conditions under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Act, 2017, requiring one doctor’s approval for up to 12 weeks and two for 12-24 weeks, based on risks to maternal health or fetal abnormalities. Legal restrictions aim to prevent misuse, especially illegal female foeticides following amniocentesis-based sex determination, which is banned. Illegal MTPs by unqualified practitioners are unsafe and can be fatal, necessitating better counseling and healthcare access.

Q5: Explain the causes, complications, and prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
Ans: STIs, such as gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydiasis, genital herpes, and HIV, are transmitted through sexual intercourse, and some (e.g., HIV, hepatitis-B) via blood transfusion, shared needles, or from mother to fetus. Causes include unprotected sex with multiple or unknown partners. Early symptoms like itching, discharge, or pain may be minor, especially in females, leading to delayed detection due to social stigma. Complications include pelvic inflammatory diseases (PID), abortions, stillbirths, ectopic pregnancies, infertility, or reproductive tract cancer. Except for HIV, hepatitis-B, and genital herpes, STIs are curable with early detection and treatment. Prevention involves:  

• Avoiding sex with unknown/multiple partners.  
• Using condoms during coitus.  
• Seeking early detection and complete treatment from qualified doctors. These measures, prioritized in RCH programmes, reduce STI incidence, particularly among 15-24-year old.

Q6: Discuss the causes of infertility and the assisted reproductive technologies (ART) available to address it.
Ans: Infertility is the inability to conceive after two years of unprotected sexual cohabitation, caused by physical, congenital, disease-related, drug-induced, immunological, or psychological factors in either partner, though often attributed to males in India. Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) include:  

• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): Ova and sperm are fertilized outside the body, forming a zygote transferred to the fallopian tube (ZIFT, up to 8 blastomeres) or uterus (IUT, >8 blastomeres). Known as the test tube baby programme.  
• Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer (GIFT): Donor ovum is transferred to the fallopian tube of a female unable to produce ova but capable of fertilization.  
• Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): Sperm is injected directly into an ovum to form an embryo in the lab.  
• Artificial Insemination (AI): Semen from the husband or donor is introduced into the vagina or uterus (IUI) to address low sperm counts or insemination issues. These techniques require high precision, are costly, and are available in limited centres. Emotional, religious, and social barriers may deter adoption, making legal adoption a viable alternative for parenthood.

Q7: Describe the role of awareness and infrastructure in improving reproductive health in India.
Ans: Awareness and infrastructure are critical for reproductive health improvement in India. Awareness campaigns, using audio-visual and print media, educate people about reproductive organs, safe sexual practices, STIs, birth control, and maternal/child care. Schools introduce sex education to dispel myths, while parents, teachers, and peers disseminate information. This fosters informed decisions, reduces population growth, and curbs social evils like sex-related crimes. Infrastructure supports this through:  

• Medical facilities: Providing care for pregnancy, delivery, STIs, MTP, contraception, and infertility with professional expertise.  
• Government initiatives: RCH programmes, child immunization, and bans on amniocentesis for sex determination.  
• Research: Developing contraceptives like ‘Saheli’ and improving existing methods. Outcomes include reduced maternal and infant mortality, better STI detection, increased small-family adoption, and enhanced medical care, reflecting improved reproductive health over the past 50 years.

Q8: Evaluate the impact of population stabilisation measures and the challenges associated with contraceptive use.
Ans: Population stabilisation measures, driven by RCH programmes, aim to curb India’s population growth, which reached 1.2 billion by 2011. Measures include promoting contraceptives, raising marriageable ages (18 for females, 21 for males), and incentivizing small families (e.g., “Hum Do Hamare Do”). Contraceptive methods—natural, barrier, IUDs, oral pills, injectables, implants, and surgical—have increased small-family adoption, marginally reducing the growth rate to less than 2% per year (2011 census). However, challenges persist:  

• Side effects: Contraceptives may cause nausea, abdominal pain, irregular bleeding, or, rarely, breast cancer, deterring use.  
• High failure rates: Natural methods like periodic abstinence have high failure rates.  
• Social factors: Resistance to surgical methods due to poor reversibility and cultural preferences for larger families.  
• Access and awareness: Limited access to medical consultation and awareness, especially in rural areas, hinders effective use. Despite progress, the alarming growth rate risks resource scarcity, necessitating intensified awareness and improved contraceptive technologies.