Reproductive Health Questions

1. Reproductive Health Questions

2. Why can’t some women have children? • Most cases of female infertility are caused by problems with ovulation. Without ovulation, there are no eggs to be fertilized. Some signs that a woman is not ovulating normally include irregular or absent menstrual periods. • Many things can change a woman's ability to have a baby. These include: Age Smoking Excess alcohol use Stress Poor diet Athletic training Being overweight or underweight Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

3. Can you get pregnant during your period? • Yes. Having unprotected sex at any time is very risky. Along with the chance of becoming pregnant, there is also the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

4. What causes a miscarriage? • What is a miscarriage? A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the first 20 weeks. It is usually your body's way of ending a pregnancy that has had a bad start. • What causes a miscarriage? Most miscarriages happen because the fertilized egg in the uterus does not develop normally. A miscarriage is not caused by stress, exercise, or sex. In many cases, doctors don't know what caused the miscarriage. • Common signs of a miscarriage include: -Bleeding from the vagina. The bleeding may be light or heavy, constant or off and on. It can sometimes be hard to know whether light bleeding is a sign of miscarriage. But if you have bleeding with pain, the chance of a miscarriage is higher. -Pain in the belly, lower back, or pelvis. -Tissue that passes from the vagina.

5. Signs of being pregnant? • Spotting or cramping • Breast changes (swollen, sore, tingly) • Fatigue • Nausea (morning sickness) • Missed period • Frequent mild headaches

6. What is the function of the labia minora/majora? • Labia majora: The labia majora enclose and protect the other external reproductive organs. Literally translated as "large lips," the labia majora are relatively large and fleshy, and are comparable to the scrotum in males. • Labia minora: They lie just inside the labia majora, and surround the openings to the vagina

7. What is Toxic Shock Syndrome? • A rare but serious bacterial infection that affects the immune system and the liver. It can be fatal. To reduce TSS risk, use tampons with the lowest absorbency and change them often. If symptoms occur, such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, red eyes, dizziness, and muscle aches, see a doctor.

8. How much sperm does the male produce? • The number of sperm cells produced varies with the size of the testicles, but averages 85 million sperm per day per testicle, and decreases with age. This means that a single male may produce more than a quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000) sperm cells in his lifetime!

9. Why does sperm have to be in certain temperatures? • Sperm are heat-sensitive, and cannot endure high temperatures. The body has compensatory mechanisms, like the cremaster muscle relaxing and letting the testicle hang further away from the warm body, sweating and a countercurrent exchange of blood cooling inflowing blood. However, despite these compensations, there are activities that should not be performed too often, in order of preventing infertility due to heat; • Sauna sessions • Bathing for a long time in hot water • Long-time tanning bed sessions • Placement of a laptop computer over the groin for extended use

10. What causes testicular cancer? Risk Factors: • Undescended testicle: One of the main risk factors for testicular cancer is a problem called cryptorchidism, or undescended testicle(s). Before birth, the testicles normally develop in the belly of the fetus and then move down (descend) into the scrotum before birth. But in about 3% of boys, the testicles do not move into the scrotum. Sometimes the testicle stays inside the belly. In other cases, the testicle starts to come down, but gets stuck in the groin. • Family history: A family history of testicular cancer increases the risk. If a man has the disease, there is a slight risk that his brothers or sons may also get it. But very few cases of testicular cancer are actually found in families. • HIV infection: There is some evidence that men infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) have an increased risk of testicular cancer. This may be especially true for men who have AIDS. No other infections have been shown to increase testicular cancer risk. • Age: Nine out of 10 cases of testicular cancers occur in men between the ages of 20 and 54. But this cancer can affect males of any age, including infants and older men • Race and ethnicity: White American men are about 5 times more likely to get testicular cancer than are African-American men. Whites have more than 3 times the risk of Asian-American and American Indian men. The risk for Hispanics falls between that of Asians and non-Hispanic whites. The reason for these differences is not known.

11. What causes sterility? Reversible? • Abnormal sperm production or function due to various problems, such as undescended testicles, genetic defects or repeated infections. • General health and lifestyle issues, such as poor nutrition, obesity, or use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. • Overexposure to certain environmental factors, such as pesticides and other chemicals. In addition, frequent exposure to heat, such as in saunas or hot tubs, can elevate your core body temperature. This may impair your sperm production and lower your sperm count. • Damage related to cancer and its treatment. Both radiation and chemotherapy treatment for cancer can impair sperm production, sometimes severely. The closer radiation treatment is to the testicles, the higher the risk of infertility. Removal of one or both testicles due to cancer also may affect male fertility. • Age. Men older than age 40 may be less fertile than younger men.

12. How do you get an inguinal hernia? • An inguinal hernia occurs when part of the intestines push through a tear in the abdominal wall. The tear may be caused by straining the abdominal muscles or lifting heavy objects. Symptoms include a lump in the groin near the thigh, pain in the groin, or blockage of the intestine. Surgery can repair an inguinal hernia.