Gonorrhoea

Gonorrhoea

Gonorrhoea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world and it is caused by bacteria. It is spread during sexual intercourse.

Infection with gonorrhoea increases the risk of becoming infected with HIV, but early stage gonorrhoea can be treated with a course of antibiotics. 

Symptoms:

• the place where the bacteria usually first attack is the urethra and the cervix, therefore, some may feel pain when passing urine or have lower abdominal pains or backache
• Pus can be discharged from the penis, or for women, yellow or green discharge with a strong smell can be discharged from the vagina
• it can also infect the rectum, the anus, throat and eyes (in case of a rectum infection, there can be irritation or discharge at the anus)

Effects:

• it can cause the testicles, prostate gland (for men) and fallopian tubes (for women) to be inflamed
• infected women may become infertile
• they may also pass gonorrhoea to their newborn infants during delivery, causing eye infections and blindness in their babies

Family Planning

Family Planning

In family planning, married couples plan when they want to have babies and how many children they want. However, sometimes, the couple does not want to have a baby. They must therefore prevent a sperm from joining with an egg via birth control.

There are two measures of birth control: temporary and permanent. 

Temporary birth control:

In temporary birth control, a couple is able to have children when they wish to. This can be done through using temporary birth control methods.

These are some of the methods:

• Spermicides (kill or immobilize sperms, preventing fertilisation)
• Diaphragms (shallow dome shaped rubber or plastic cups that block the opening to the uterus and prevent sperms from fertilising the egg)
• Male condoms (collects the semen before, during and after intercourse, preventing fertilisation)
• Female condoms (collects semen before, during and after ejaculation, preventing fertilisation)
• Intra-uterine devices (IUD, prevents sperms from fusing with the egg or preventing implantation of a fertilised egg onto the uterine wall
• Contraceptive pills (prevent ovulation or thicken cervival mucus, which keeps sperms from fertilising the egg)

Permanent birth control:

In permanent birth control, a couple is not able to have any more children.

These are the methods:

1) Male sterilization or vasectomy

- removes a section of the sperm duct and the open ends are tied, blocking the sperm ducts and keeping sperms out of the seminal fluid

1. Female sterilization or ligation

• closes off the fallopian tubes where the egg is fertilised by a sperm. Middle portion of the fallopian tubes is removed and the open ends are tied

When a couple accidentally gets pregnant, they may get an abortion: a deliberate termination of a pregnancy before the foetus is developed enough to survive outside the uterus.

Birth

Birth

There are two types of births: C-section and natural birth.

Natural birth:

When the baby is about to be born, the head of the baby faces down. The membrane (amniotic sac) around the fetus breaks and the liquid comes out. The mother uses her strong muscles in the womb to push the baby out of the vagina. The baby comes out with the umbilical cord attached. The doctor cuts and ties the cord. The placenta (an organ that connects the fetus to the uterine wall to allow nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother’s blood supply) is released.

C-section:

Also known as Cesarean Section, it involves the doctor surgically operating on the mother to take the baby out, usually cutting open the front of the womb. Mothers who have c-sections are more likely to have an infection, excessive bleeding, blood clots, more postpartum pain, a longer hospital stay, and a significantly longer recovery. 

Puberty

Puberty is the stage of human growth and development in which a person becomes physically mature.

The changes are as follows:

For boys:

• Facial hair starts to grow and hair appears in pubic region and under armpits.
• The sex organs increase in size.
• Production of sperms start.
• Larynx enlarges and voice deepens.

For girls:

• Hair appears in the pubic region and under armpits.
• The breasts and uterus enlarge, hips broaden.
• Menstruation and ovulation start.

The girls will also start going through what is called a menstrual cycle.

The changes of the Graafian follicle: 

The Graafian follicle is the basic unit of the female reproductive biology, each of which is composed of roughly spherical aggregations of cells found in the ovary.

1. Graafian follicle

• contains egg surrounded by follicle cells and a fluid-filled space
• egg has haploid number of chromosomes

1. Ovulation

• about 14th day from the beginning of menstruation, Graafian follicle ruptures and releases the egg into the oviduct funnel

1. Corpus Luteum

• over ovulation, Graafian follicle develops into a corpus luteum
• Corpus luteum prodeces progesterone that prepares body for pregancy

1. Corpus Luteum breaks down

• fertilisation occurs, Corpus Luteum breaks down

The stages:

1. Menstrual flow stage (day 1-5)

• Uterine lining (endometrium) breaks down and flows from the uterus out of the body through the vagina

- Anterior pituary gland secrets follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) into the bloodstream

1. Follicle stage (day 6-13)

Effects of the FSH

• FSH stimulates the development of the follicles in the ovaries. One follicle matures to become the Graafian follicle in one of the ovaries during each cycle
• It stimulates the follicles in ovaries to secrete oestrogen

1. Effects of oestrogen

• Causes the repair and growth of endometrium 
• Endometrium becomes thick and spongy with blood vessels
• High concentration of oestrogen in bloodstream

. inhibits FSH production, preventing ripening and growth of more follicles

. ripening and growth of more follicles 

. stimulates pituitary gland to secrete luteinising hormone (LH)

1. Ovulation (day 14)

Effects of LH

• LH causes ovulation
• Causes the formation of the corpus luteum
• Corpus luteum secretes progesterone and some oestrogen

1. Corpus luteum stage (day 15-28) 

Effects of progesterone

• Maintains the uterine lining by causing it to thicken further and be supplied with blood capillaries, preparing it for the fertilised egg
• It inhibits ovulation
• It inhibits FSH production

AIDS

AIDS is a disease with many signs occurring at the same time. Thus, it is called a ‘syndrome’, which means a group of signs and symptoms that occur together. The victims of AIDS usually die within two years. So far, no cure for AIDS has been found.

AIDS is caused by the virus affecting the white blood cells. There are also harmful effects for example, HIV-infected people may develop signs and symptoms such as tiredness, weight loss, fevers and severe diarrhoea only after many months or years. The full blown AIDS occur within eight to ten years of HIV infection, causing people to suffer from pneumonia, cancer of the blood vessels and damage to brain and finally death. 

AIDS is the most widely known Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) caused by a virus called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It refers to the most advanced stages of HIV infection as it may take months to years before HIV infection develops into AIDS. HIV destroys the immune system of the infected person, so that the body is unable to produce sufficient antibodies against diseases. 

The symptoms of AIDS include: 

-severe diarrhoea lasting for months
-chronic or persistent fever
-pneumonia
-Kaposi’s sarcoma or cancer of the blood vessels
-brain infection; and
-widespread tuberculosis (a lung disease) affecting many organs at the same time

HIV is commonly transmitted by sexual intercourse or sharing of hypodermic needles with an infected person. (e.g. when drug addicts share their needles. Needles used for tattooing, acupuncture or ear-piercing may transmit the disease if they are not cleaned properly.) The blood transfusion with blood from an infected person can also cause HIV. During pregnancy or breast milking, the virus may also be passed from the infected mother to the fetus.

In order to prevent the infection of HIV, people should take precautions. For example, they could keep to one sex partner or do not have sex. For the males, a condom should be worn to reduce the risk of infection, especially if they are not sure whether their partners or themselves are infected with AIDS. People should not abuse drugs as drug addicts tend to share needles. They also shouldn't not share instruments that are likely to break the skin and be contaminated with blood, e.g. razors and toothbrushes. If they require acupuncture treatment, ear-piercing or tattooinggo they should got to reliable operators. They could also make sure that the needles used are sterilised or insist on using disposable instruments. Sterilisation removes living microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses from the instruments.

Abortion

Abortion is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy. An abortion is not a method of contraception as an egg has already been fertilised.

People may have an abortion because of several reasons, such as, the baby was severely deformed physically or mentally, the life of the mother is endangered if the pregnancy continues, the pregnancy is unplanned or if the couple is poor and cannot afford another baby.

An abortion can be dangerous for a woman as the uterus and fallopian tubes can become infected during the process and therefore, making   it more difficult for a woman to become pregnant again. A lot of blood can also be lost from the vagina and excessive blood loss can lead to death. The instruments used for an abortion may puncture the uterus, also resulting in blood loss.

pregnancy

  Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside thewomb of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets. A pregnancy lasts for about 38 weeks.During implantation, the embryo reaches the uterus and attaches itself onto the lining of the uterus. Cell division continues.

After two weeks 

  

  The umbilical cord joins the embryo to the placenta.The embryo receives food and oxygen from the mother and pass waste substances back through the umbilical cord and placenta.The placenta also stops infections and harmful substances from reaching the embryo.The embryo is also protected by a surrounding liquid enclosed by a membrane.

  After four weeks

  Eyes, arms and legs begin to form. A little tail is also visible

  After seven weeks

  

  Nose, ears and fingers can be seen.

  After eleven weeks

  

   Embryo looks like a baby. From this stage until birth, embryo is called a foetus.

    After twenty weeks

The foetus looks more and more like a human baby. The fingers and toes can be seen clearly.

  After thirty-eight weeks

 The baby is born