NCERT Exemplar: Reproductive Health - 2 | Biology Class 12 - NEET PDF Download

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1. Suggest some important steps that you would recommend to be taken to improve the reproductive health standards in India.
Ans. 

• Creating awareness among people about various reproduction related aspects and providing facilities and support for building up a reproductively healthy society are the major tasks under these programmes. With the help of audio-visual and the print-media, governmental and non-governmental agencies have taken various steps to create awareness among the people about reproduction-related aspects.
• Parents, other close relatives, teachers and friends, also have a major role in the dissemination of the above information. Educating people, especially fertile couples and those in marriageable age group, about available birth control options, care of pregnant mothers, post-natal care of the mother and child, importance of breast feeding, equal opportunities for the male and the female child, etc., would address the importance of bringing up socially conscious healthy families of desired size.

Q.2. The procedure of GIFT involves the transfer of female gamete to the fallopian tube. Can gametes be transferred to the uterus to achieve the same result? Explain.
Ans. The uterine environment is not congenial for the survival of the gamete. If, directly transferred to the uterus they will undergo degeneration or could be phagocytosed and hence viable zygote would not be formed.

Q.3. Copper ions-releasing IUDs are more efficient than non-medicated methods. Why?
Ans. Unlike non-medicated IUEs, the copper releasing IUDs releases Cu ions that suppress sperm motility and fertilising capacity of sperms.

Q.4. What are the probable factors that contributed to population explosion in India?
Ans. Probable reasons for population explosion are:

1.  A rapid decline in death rate.
2. Decline in MMR (Maternal mortality rate).
3. Decline in IMR (Infant mortality rate).
4. An increase in number of people in reproducible age.

Q.5. Briefly explain IVF and ET What are the conditions in which these methods are advised?
Ans. IVF and ET refer to In Vitro Fertilisation and Embryo Transfer. Gametes from the male and female are collected hygienically and induced to fuse in the laboratory set up under simulated conditions. The zygote formed is collected and is introduced into the uterine region of a host dr surrogate mother at an appropriate time (secretory phase). Early embryos (up to 8 cell) are generally transferred to the fallopian tube whereas embryos with more than 8 cells are transferred to the uterus.

Q.6. What are the advantages of natural methods of contraception over artificial methods?
Ans. Advantages of natural methods of contraception over artificial methods:

1. As no medicines or devices are used in these methods, side effects are almost nil.
2.  There is no surgical intervention, so natural method is reversible in nature.

Q.7. What are the conditions in which medical termination of pregnancy is advised?
Ans. 

• MTP is used to get rid of unwanted pregnancies either due to casual unprotected intercourse or failure of the contraceptive used during coitus or rapes.
• MTPs are also essential in certain cases where continuation of the pregnancy could be harmful or even fatal either to the mother or to the foetus of both.

Q.8. Comment on the essential features required for an ideal contraceptive.
Ans. An ideal contraceptive should be:

1. User-friendly
2. Easily available
3. Effective
4. Reversible
5. No or least side-effects.
6. Should not interfere with the sexual drive, desire or sexual act of the user

Q.9. All reproductive tract infections RTIs are STDs, but all STDs are not RTIs. Justify with example.
Ans. The common STDs are gonorrhea, syphilis, genital herpes, chlamydiasis, hepatitis-B, AIDs etc. Hepatitis-B, and AIDs are not infections of the reproductive organs though their mode of transmission could be through sexual contact also. All other diseases are transmitted through sexual contact and are also infections of the reproductive tract.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1. What are the Assisted Reproductive Techniques practised to help infertile couples? Describe any three techniques.
Ans. Inability to conceive or produce children even after 2 years of unprotected sexual cohabitation is called infertility. In India, often the female is blamed ‘ for the couple being childless, but more often than not the problem lies in male partner.
Specialised health care units (infertility, clinics) could help in diagnosis and corrective treatment of some of these disorders and enable these couples to have children. However, where such corrections are not possible, the couples could be assisted to have children through certain special techniques commonly known as ART (Assisted Reproductive Technologies).
1. Test Tube Baby Programme
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) followed by embryo transfer (ET) is a method to treat infertility and commonly known as the ‘Test tube baby’ programme. IVF-Fertilisation outside the body in almost similar conditions as that in the body. In this method ova from the wife/donor (female) and sperms from the husband/donor (male) are collected and are induced to form zygote under simulated conditions in the laboratory.

• ZIFT (Zygote Intra Fallopian Transfer): The zygote or early embryos (up to 8 blastomeres) could then be transferred into the fallopian tube.
• IUT (Intra Uterine Transfer): Embryos with more than 8 blastomeres could be transferred into the uterus, to complete its further development.
• Embryos formed by in vivo fertilization (fusion of gametes within the female) also could be used for such transfer to assist those females who cannot conceive.

2. GIFT
Transfer of an ovum collected from a donor into the fallopian tube (GIFT; Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer) of another female who cannot produce one but can provide suitable environment for fertilization and further development.
3. AI Technique

• Infertility cases either due to inability of the male partner to inseminate the female or due to very low sperm counts in the ejaculates, could be corrected by artificial insemination (AI) technique.
• In this technique, the semen collected either from the husband or a healthy donor is artificially introduced, either into the vagina or into the uterus (IUI-Intra Uterine Insemination) of the female.

Q.2. Discuss the mode of action and advantages/disadvantages of hormonal contraceptives.
Ans.

• Oral administration of small doses of either progestagens or progestogen- estrogen combinations is another contraceptive method used by the females.
• Most important component of oral contraceptive is progesterone. They are used in the form of tablets and hence are popularly called the pills. Pills have to be taken daily for a period of 21 days starting preferably within the first 5 days of menstrual cycle. After a gap of 7 days (during which menstruation occurs) it has to be repeated in the same pattern.
•  Oral contraceptive pills inhibit ovulation and implantation as well as alter (change) the quality of cervical mucus to prevent or retard entry of
  sperms. Progesterone present in OCP- is meant for checking ovulation. Pills are very effective with lesser side effects and are well accepted by the females. Combination or IUDs within 72 hours of coitus have been found to be very effective as emergency contraceptives as they could be used to avoid possible pregnancy due to rape or casual unprotected intercourse.

Q.3. STDs are a threat to reproductive health. Describe any two such diseases and suggest preventive measures.
Ans. Diseases or infections which are transmitted through sexual intercourse called sexually transmitted diseases (STD) or VD (Venereal diseases) or RTI
(Reproductive tract infections).
Examples of STDs:
(i) HIV (AIDS)
(ii) Hepatitis-B
(iii) Genital herpes
(iv) Chlamydiasis
(v) Gonorrhoea
(vi) Genital warts
(vii) Syphilis
(viii) Trichomoniasis
AIDS

• AIDS is caused by HIV virus (Human Immuno deficiency virus or Human T-cell leukemia virus). There is always a time-lag between the infection and appearance of AIDS symptoms (incubation period). Incubation period may vary from a few month to many years (usually 5-10 years).
• ARC (AIDS Related Complex) is a mild or initial form of AIDS which develop after a few mon|h of infection. In AIDS patient, a reduction of 10% weight indicates ARC. After infection, HIV enters in macrophages where RNA of virus replicates to form viral DNA with the help of enzyme reverse transcriptase. Viral DNA incorporated into host cell DNA and directs the infected cell to produce new virus particles. The macrophages continue to produce virus therefore macrophages are called HIV Factory.
• Simultaneously HIV enters into helper T-lymphocytes (TH) or T4 replicates and produce progeny viruses. The progeny viruses released in the blood attack other helper T-lymphocytes. This is repeated leading to a progressive decrease in the number of helper T-lymphocytes in the body of infected person. During this period person suffers from: (i) Bouts of fever, (ii) Diarrhoea, (iii) Weight loss
• Due to the decrease in TH cells, person start suffering from infections that could have been otherwise overcome such as those due to bacteria especially Mycobacterium, virus, fungi and even parasites like Toxoplasma. The patient becomes so immuno-deficient that he/she is unable to protect himself/herself against these infections. Diagnostic test for AIDS is ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay).Werstem blot is used as confirmatory or supplemental test for AIDS. Routine test of AIDS is PCR.

Hepatitis-B
Hepatitis-B viras is horizontally transmitted by blood transfusions, contaminated needles, body fluids like semen, saliva, sweat, tear and breast milk. Hepatitis-B is also transmitted vertically from infected mother to foetus through placenta. For prevention and control hepatitis-B vaccine is now available. Hepatitis-B vaccine was developed by Blumberg, for which he was awarded Nobel Prize in 1976. 

Q.4. Do you justify the statutory ban on amniocentesis in our country? Give reasons.
Ans. 

• Intentional or voluntary termination of pregnancy before full term is called MTP or induced abortion. Nearly 45 to 50 millions MTPs are performed in a year all over the world which accounts to l/5th (20%) of the total number of conceived pregnancies in a year. MTP has a significant role in decreasing the population though it is not meant for this purpose.
•  Government of India legalized MTP in 1971 with some strict conditions
  to avoid its misuse. Such restrictions are more important to check indiscriminate and illegal female foeticides which reported to be high in India. ‘ .
• MTP is used to get rid of unwanted pregnancies either due to casual unprotected intercourse or failure of the contraceptive used during coitus or rapes. MTPs are also essential in certain cases where continuation of the pregnancy could be harmful or even fatal either to the mother or to the foetus or both. MTPs are considered relatively safe during the first trimester (up to 12 weeks of pregnancy). 2nd trimester abortions are much more risky. Another dangerous trend is the misuse of amniocentesis to determine the sex of unborn child.
• Amniocentesis is a foetal sex determination test based on the chromosomal pattern in the amniotic fluid surrounding the developing embryo. Amniocentesis is employed for determining hereditary abnormality in embryo. Statutory ban on amniocentesis for sex-determination to legally Check: (i) Increasing female foeticides, (ii) Massive child immunisation.

Q.5. Enumerate and describe any five reasons for introducing sex education to school-going children.
Ans. Proper information about reproductive organs-physiology and its functioning; discourage myths and misconceptions about sex-related aspects; knowledge about safe and hygienic sexual practices; adolescence and related changes, prevention of STDs, AlDs etc.