Cue Column | Notes Column

What is reproductive health? | Total well-being in all aspects of reproduction — physical, emotional, behavioral, and social. NOT merely absence of disease.

When was India's family planning programme launched? | 1951 — India was the first country globally to launch a national family planning programme.

Five categories of contraceptives | (1) Natural: rhythm, coitus interruptus, LAM; (2) Barrier: condoms, diaphragm, cervical cap; (3) IUDs: copper (Cu-T, Cu-7, Multiload 375) and hormonal (LNG-20); (4) Hormonal: combined OC pills, Saheli; (5) Surgical: vasectomy (male), tubectomy (female).

What makes Saheli unique? | Non-steroidal oral contraceptive (centchroman), developed by CDRI Lucknow, taken once weekly.

What is MTP and its legal limit? | Medical Termination of Pregnancy. Standard limit: 20 weeks; Extended to 24 weeks (2021 amendment) for special categories.

ART techniques | IVF-ET (embryo to uterus), ZIFT (zygote to fallopian tube), GIFT (gametes to fallopian tube), ICSI (sperm injected into oocyte), AI/IUI (semen to uterus).

STD classification | Bacterial (curable): gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydiasis. Viral (not curable): herpes, hepatitis B, HIV. Protozoan (curable): trichomoniasis.

Amniocentesis | Prenatal diagnostic technique; banned for sex determination (PCPNDT Act 1994); legitimate use: detecting Down syndrome, thalassemia.

Summary

Reproductive health = total reproductive well-being. India's 1951 programme was the world's first. Five contraceptive categories exist. Saheli (centchroman, CDRI) is the only non-steroidal oral contraceptive. ARTs: ZIFT and GIFT transfer to fallopian tube; IVF-ET transfers to uterus. Bacterial/protozoan STDs are curable; viral STDs are not. PCPNDT Act (1994) bans sex determination by prenatal tests.

Diagram: Female reproductive system showing uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries — key sites for IUD placement and ART transfers.