REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Definition:
Reproductive health is a state
of complete physical, mental and social well-being, in all matters relating to
the productive system, at all stages of life.
·
Reproductive health implies that people are able
to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to
reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so.
·
Implicit in his last condition are the right of
men and women to be informed and to have access to safe, effective, affordable
and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice, as well as other
methods of their choice for regulation of fertility which are not against the
law, and the right of access to appropriate health care services that will
enable woman to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth and provide couples
with the best chance of having a healthy infant.
·
Reproductive health includes sexual health, the
purpose of which is the enhancement of the life and personal relations, and not
merely counseling and care related to reproduction and sexually transmitted
diseases.”
Importance
of Reproductive Health
·
Reproductive health is a crucial part of general
health and a central feature of human development.
·
It is a reflection of health during childhood,
and crucial during adolescence and adulthood, sets the stage for health beyond
the reproductive years for both woman and men, and affects the health of the
next generation.
·
The health of the newborn is largely a function
of the mother’s health and nutrition status and of her access to health care.
·
Reproductive health is a universal concern, but
is of special importance for women particularly during the reproductive years.
·
Although most reproductive health problems arise
during the reproductive years, in old age general health continues to reflect
earlier reproductive life events.
·
Men too have reproductive health concerns and
needs though their general health is affected by reproductive health to a
lesser extent than is the case for women.
Concept of
Reproductive Health:
·
Reproductive health does not start out from a
list of diseases or problems – sexually transmitted diseases, maternal
mortality or from a list of programmes- maternal and child health, safe
motherhood, family planning.
·
Reproductive health instead must be understood
in the context of relationships: fulfillment and risk; the opportunity to have
a described child birth or alternatively, to avoid unwanted or unsafe
pregnancy.
·
Reproductive health contributes enormously to
physical and psychosocial comfort and closeness, and to personal and social
maturation. Poor reproductive health is frequently associated with disease,
abuse, exploitation, unwanted pregnancy and death.
Factors Affecting Reproductive Health:
·
Reproductive health affects, and affected, by
the broader context of people’s live including, their economic circumstances,
education, employment, living conditions and family environment, social and
gender relationship, and the traditional and legal structures within which they
live.
·
Sexual and reproductive behaviours are governed
by complex biological, cultural and psychosocial factors. Therefore, the
attainment of reproductive health is not limited to interventions by the health
sector alone. Nonetheless, most reproductive health problems cannot be
significantly addressed in the absence of health services and medical knowledge
and skills.
·
The status of girls and woman in society, and
how they are treated or mistreated, is a crucial determinant of their
reproductive health.
·
Educational opportunities for girls and women
powerfully affect their status and the control they have over their own lives
and their health and fertility. The empowerment of women is therefore, an
essential element for health.
Components of Reproductive
Health Hygiene:
·
The full
spectrum of family planning information and services, including counseling
and follow-up services, aimed at all
couples and individuals;
·
Prenatal delivery ( including assistant
delivery) and postnatal care of mothers at the primary health care level with
appropriate referral for the management of obstetric complications,
·
Prevention of reproductive tract infections
(RTIs) including STDs and HIV/ AIDS through preventive counseling, condom
distribution and treatment of symptomatic infections, as part of primary health
care, with appropriate referral for follow-up;
·
Prevention of infertility and sub-fecundity, as
part of primary health care, with appropriate referral for follow-up;
·
Routine screening for other women’s reproductive
health conditions such as urinary tract infections, cervical infections, and
cervical and breast cancer, where primary level treatment is available pr
referral for follow-up exists;
·
Active discouragement of harmful practices such
as female genetic mutilation.
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