Reproductive Health

In vitro fertilization is a process where fertilization of egg occurs outside the mother’s womb. This method is used as a major treatment for infertility. This method involves the removal of eggs from the female ovaries. This egg is then allowed to fertilize with sperm in a fluid medium in a test tube. The zygote is allowed to develop for a week. Either zygote or early embryo up to 8 blastomeres is then transferred into the fallopian tube to complete its further development. If the embryo is with more than 8 blastomeres, it is transferred into uterus for successful pregnancy. A baby conceived by fertilization that occurs outside mother body is called test tube baby.

A. The pill — Prevents ovulation
B. Condom — Prevents sperm reaching cervix
C. Vasectomy — Semen contains no sperms
D. Copper-T — Prevent implantation.

Intrauterine devices like copper T are effective contraceptives for birth control. It suppresses sperm motility and the fertilising capacity of the sperm. Medical termination of pregnancy or induced abortion is voluntary or intentional termination of pregnancy before full term of foetus. It is comparatively safe upto 12 weeks (the first trimester) of pregnancy.

Nearly all populations will tend to grow exponentially as long as there are resources available. The formula for exponential population growth is dN/dt = rN. In this equation d is the rate of change, N is the number of existing individuals, r is the intrinsic growth rate, t is time, and dN/dt is the rate of change in population size.

The environmental factors which can check the growth of population size constitute the environmental resistance. These include predators, food, water, nesting sites, similar competitors, etc. All living things tend to reproduce until the point at which their environment becomes a limiting factor. No population, human or otherwise, can grow indefinitely; eventually, some biotic or abiotic variable will begin to limit population growth.

By in vitro fertilization, the ovum is fertilized with sperm outside the body of a woman, providing the ovum with the same environmental conditions as it would have got inside the uterus. The zygote is grown inside a culture and when embryo is formed, it is then implanted into uterus where it develops into foetus and then into a child. This is called test tube baby.

Carrying capacity refers to the maximum number of individuals that can be sustained by the environment. Birth rate refers to number of births per unit population.

Pills also called contraceptive pills contain small doses of either progestogens or progestogenoestrogen combinations. They inhibit ovulation and implantation.

Copper-T is an intrauterine device (IUD) used by women as a birth control. An IUD is a small device which is placed inside the uterus. The vertical and horizontal arms of the Copper - T contain copper which is slowly released into the uterine cavity. Copper stops sperm from making their way up through the uterus into the tubes, and it reduces the ability of sperm to fertilize the egg. It also prevents a fertilized egg (blastocyst) from successfully implanting in the lining of the uterus if fertilization has occurred.