Reproductive health means physical, mental, emotional, behavioural, and social well-being in all aspects of reproduction. It also implies people have a safe sex life with the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide whether to conceive or not. Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day was held on February 12.  Raising awareness among people about various reproductive health-related aspects and giving facilities and support for developing a reproductively healthy society. 

Methods to Achieve Reproductive Health-

• Various awareness programmes are initiated for improving reproduction-related aspects.
• In schools, the introduction of sex education is essential to clear out myths about sex-related issues.
• Educating people and providing the right information about sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS etc.
• Adult people and married couples should be educated about various birth control methods.
• Statutory ban on amniocentesis (a diagnostic technique for sex determination of a child) which increase female foeticides.

The tremendous increase in the size and growth of the population leads to :- 

Population Explosion which is also because of decreased death rate, infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate. So, to minimize this population explosion several measures have been taken by the government like the marriageable age increase for both boys and girls i.e., 21 for males and 18 for women. Some incentives are provided to small families. But the most important step to control population is by introducing people to use different birth control methods\contraceptive methods.

Birth control can be pills, medicine or any method which helps to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Unprotected sex may lead to pregnancy. So, when you are sexually active and do not want a child use birth control. You might think what does birth control do? They help in preventing sperm to reach eggs, not provide a suitable environment for sperm to reach the ovum, and change the uterine lining so, an egg cannot implant.

Different methods of Birth Control are - All contraceptive methods are different but the ideal contraceptive is the one which is user-friendly, effective, easily available, and reusable and has very few side effects. Let’s learn about different categories of birth control and decide accordingly which the best method is for you and your partner.

1. Barrier methods- Preventing egg and sperm from physically meeting with the help of mechanical barriers like a condom made up of thin latex to cover the penis in the male and cervix or vagina in the female which prevents STDs. Condoms are not reusable and can be self-inserted to maintain privacy. Diaphragms, vaults and cervical cups are other barriers which can be reusable.
2. Intrauterine devices (IUDs)- These are inserted by doctors in the uterus through the vagina of the female. It includes Cu-T, Cu-7, LNG-20 etc. IUDs decrease sperm motility and increase phagocytosis of the sperm in the uterus. IUDs are an ideal contraceptive method in India.
3. Oral contraceptive- It is in the form of pills with a dose containing progesterone and estrogen combination. These pills either alter or inhibit ovulation or implantation and prevent the entry of sperm. Some side effects can be seen.
4. Surgical methods- Also known as sterilisation is a permanent method to prevent any pregnancies. In the male, vasectomy is done where the vasa deferens is cut and tied up to prevent the transport of semen and in females, tubectomy is done where the fallopian is cut and tied up so that the ovum cannot be able to transport to the uterus.

Selecting a suitable contraceptive method depends on you and your partner in the guidance of some medical professionals. Since all these practices are against the natural conception and are adopted due to some personal issues. Without a doubt, the widespread use of these techniques has a considerable impact on preventing unchecked population expansion. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that using contraceptives is not always necessary to maintain reproductive health.

- By Muskan Jain