Q.Removal of gonads cannot be considered as a contraceptive option. Why?
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Hormonal Regulation Failure
Let’s start with something you already know. Think of your body as a large, complex organisation — a company, a government, or even a school. For everything to run smoothly, there needs to be a communication system that sends instructions from the top to every department. In your body, that communication system is partly run by hormones.
Hormones are chemical messengers. They are released by special glands (like the thyroid, pancreas, or pituitary) and travel through your blood to tell specific organs what to do — when to grow, when to release energy, when to sleep, and so on. As long as every gland releases the right amount of hormone at the right time, your body stays in balance. That balance is called homeostasis.
Now, hormonal regulation failure is simply what happens when that communication system breaks down. It means a gland either releases too much of a hormone, too little, or the target organ stops responding to the hormone properly. The message gets lost, garbled, or never sent.
Why does this matter for a commerce/humanities student?
You don’t need to memorise gland names or chemical pathways. What matters is understanding the consequence: when hormonal regulation fails, the body cannot maintain its internal balance. This leads to specific disorders. The NCERT textbook (Class 11, Chapter 22 – Chemical Coordination and Integration) lists several classic examples. Here are the ones you are most likely to encounter:
- Diabetes Mellitus: The pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells ignore insulin. Insulin is the hormone that tells cells to take in sugar from the blood. Without it, blood sugar rises dangerously. This is the most common example of hormonal regulation failure.
- Hypothyroidism: The thyroid gland produces too little thyroxine. This slows down metabolism — you feel tired, gain weight, and feel cold. In children, it can cause severe developmental delays (cretinism).
- Hyperthyroidism: The opposite — too much thyroxine. Metabolism speeds up uncontrollably: weight loss, rapid heartbeat, sweating, and irritability.
- Gigantism / Acromegaly: Too much growth hormone from the pituitary gland. In children, it causes excessive growth (gigantism). In adults, it causes bones of the hands, feet, and face to enlarge (acromegaly).
- Dwarfism: Too little growth hormone in childhood leads to stunted growth, but normal body proportions.
The key idea is feedback loop failure. Normally, if a hormone level rises too high, the brain tells the gland to stop producing it. If the level drops too low, the brain tells the gland to produce more. In hormonal regulation failure, this feedback loop is broken — the gland keeps producing too much or too little, regardless of what the body needs.
A simple analogy
Imagine a thermostat connected to an air conditioner. The thermostat senses the room temperature and tells the AC to turn on or off. That’s normal regulation.
Now imagine the thermostat is broken. It keeps telling the AC to run even when the room is freezing — that’s overproduction (hyperthyroidism). Or it never tells the AC to turn on, even when the room is sweltering — that’s underproduction (hypothyroidism). Or the AC itself is broken and ignores the thermostat’s signal — that’s hormone resistance (like in type 2 diabetes).
The room (your body) can’t stay comfortable. That’s hormonal regulation failure.
What causes it?
The NCERT textbook mentions several causes, but for a prose subject, you only need the broad categories:
- Genetic defects – you are born with a gland that doesn’t work properly.
- Autoimmune attacks – the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks a gland (e.g., Hashimoto’s thyroiditis destroys the thyroid).
- Tumours – a benign growth in a gland can cause it to secrete hormones uncontrollably.
- Nutritional deficiencies – for example, lack of iodine in the diet leads to hypothyroidism (goitre). …
Removal of gonads — the ovaries in females and the testes in males — is a permanent surgical procedure called gonadectomy. It stops the production of gametes (eggs and sperm), so it does prevent fertilisation. But that is not the only function of the gonads. They are also endocrine glands that secrete the sex hormones: oestrogen and progesterone from the ovaries, and testosterone from the testes.
These hormones are essential for the development and maintenance of secondary sexual characteristics — such as breast development, body hair distribution, and voice changes — as well as for normal bone density, muscle mass, and overall metabolic health. Removing the gonads would cause a sudden and irreversible loss of these hormones, leading to a condition similar to surgical menopause or castration. The side effects include hot flushes, osteoporosis, loss of libido, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. …
Removal of gonads (ovaries or testes) is not a contraceptive option because it causes permanent sterility, severe hormonal imbalances, and irreversible health consequences that go far beyond preventing pregnancy.
The question touches on a fundamental principle in reproductive biology: contraception aims to prevent pregnancy without destroying the body's normal function. Gonads — the ovaries in females and testes in males — are not merely organs that produce gametes (eggs and sperm). They are endocrine glands that secrete essential hormones: oestrogen and progesterone from the ovaries, and testosterone from the testes. These hormones regulate not just reproduction but also bone density, muscle mass, fat distribution, mood, libido, and secondary sexual characteristics.
Removing the gonads would certainly prevent pregnancy — no eggs or sperm means no fertilisation. But that is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The procedure, called gonadectomy (oophorectomy in females, orchidectomy in males), is a major surgical intervention with lifelong consequences. In females, it induces immediate surgical menopause, with hot flushes, vaginal dryness, osteoporosis risk, and increased cardiovascular disease. In males, it causes loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, muscle wasting, and osteoporosis. These are not side effects — they are the direct result of removing the body's primary source of sex hormones.
The NCERT textbook explicitly states that "removal of gonads cannot be considered a contraceptive option" because it leads to "permanent sterility and loss of sexual characteristics." This is a key point often tested in board exams.
Contraceptive methods are designed to be reversible or at least minimally disruptive to normal physiology. Barrier methods (condoms, diaphragms), hormonal pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and even surgical sterilisation (vasectomy or tubectomy) all preserve the gonads and their hormone production. Vasectomy, for example, only cuts the vas deferens — the testes continue producing testosterone and sperm, though sperm cannot reach the semen. Tubectomy blocks the fallopian tubes but leaves ovaries intact, so hormone cycles continue normally. In contrast, gonadectomy destroys both gamete production and hormone secretion, making it a form of castration, not contraception. …
Showing the 12 most recent of 22 on this concept.
- AP EAPCET 2026Set ap-2026-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.Match the following: List-I | List-II A. Hyperthyroidism | I. Tetany B. Enlargement of thyroid gland | II. Addison's disease C. Hypoparathyroidism | III. Exophthalmic goiter D. Under secretion of glucocorticoids | IV. Simple goiter | V. Cushing's syndrome (A) A-II, B-I, C-IV, D-III (B) A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II (C) A-V, B-I, C-III, D-IV (D) A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-V
›Reveal solutionSolution
Hyperthyroidism links to exophthalmic goiter (III), simple thyroid enlargement to simple goiter (IV), hypoparathyroidism to tetany (I), and glucocorticoid under-secretion to Addison's disease (II) — giving A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II, option (B).
Concept and Intuition
Endocrine-disorder matching questions reward knowing the hormone, the gland, and the direction of dysfunction (over- vs. under-secretion) together with its named clinical syndrome: too much thyroid hormone → Graves'/exophthalmic goiter; enlarged-but-not-necessarily-hyperactive thyroid → simple goiter; too little parathyroid hormone → low calcium → tetany; too little adrenal cortex output (glucocorticoids/mineralocorticoids) → Addison's disease; too much glucocorticoid → Cushing's syndrome (not needed here).
Step-by-Step Solution
- Hyperthyroidism: excess thyroxine typically causes an autoimmune-driven enlarged, overactive thyroid with characteristic eye bulging — exophthalmic goiter (Graves' disease). Matches III.
- Enlargement of the thyroid gland alone (without necessarily overproducing hormone, often from iodine deficiency) is termed simple/endemic goiter. Matches IV. …
- TG EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-04-30-FN1 markMCQQ.Consider the following statements Assertion (A): In cockroach, 6th abdominal ganglion is the largest ganglion. Reason (R): It is formed by the fusion of ganglia of 7-10 abdominal segments. The correct answer is (A) Both (A) and (R) are true, (R) is the correct explanation of (A) (B) Both (A) and (R) are true, (R) is not the correct explanation of (A) (C) (A) is true, but (R) is false (D) (A) is false, but (R) is true
›Reveal solutionSolution
The 6th abdominal ganglion in a cockroach is indeed the largest among the abdominal ganglia because it is formed by the fusion of ganglia from several posterior abdominal segments. Both the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason correctly explains the assertion. The correct option is (A).
The nervous system of a cockroach is organized into a series of ganglia connected by a ventral nerve cord. These ganglia are essentially clusters of nerve cells that control various body functions. The size and complexity of these ganglia often reflect the number of segments they innervate or the extent of fusion that has occurred during development.
In insects like the cockroach, there's a general trend of cephalization (concentration of nervous tissue in the head) and also a tendency for ganglia in the posterior segments to fuse, forming larger, more complex structures that control the functions of the terminal segments and reproductive organs.
Let's evaluate the given statements:
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Evaluate Assertion (A): "In cockroach, 6th abdominal ganglion is the largest ganglion."
The cockroach nervous system consists of a supra-oesophageal ganglion (brain), a sub-oesophageal ganglion, three thoracic ganglia, and six abdominal ganglia. While the brain and sub-oesophageal ganglion are significant, among the abdominal ganglia, the 6th (or terminal) abdominal ganglion is indeed the largest. This ganglion is a prominent structure located in the posterior part of the abdomen. Therefore, Assertion (A) is true.
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Evaluate Reason (R): "It is formed by the fusion of ganglia of 7-10 abdominal segments."
The 6th abdominal ganglion is not a simple ganglion corresponding to a single segment. Instead, it is a composite structure. During embryonic development, the ganglia of the 7th, 8th, 9th, and sometimes even the 10th abdominal segments fuse together to form this single, large terminal ganglion. This fusion allows for coordinated control of the complex structures in the posterior abdomen, such as the cerci, anal styles, and reproductive organs. Therefore, Reason (R) is true. …
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- TG EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-04-30-FN1 markMCQQ.Consider the following statements Assertion (A): Hypersecretion of insulin leads to insulin shock. Reason (R): Hypoglycemia. The correct answer is (A) Both (A) and (R) are true, (R) is the correct explanation of (A) (B) Both (A) and (R) are true, (R) is not the correct explanation of (A) (C) (A) is true, but (R) is false (D) (A) is false, but (R) is true
›Reveal solutionSolution
The key idea is that hypersecretion of insulin causes a dangerous drop in blood glucose (hypoglycemia), which is precisely the condition known as insulin shock. Both statements are true, and the reason correctly explains the assertion. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-05-19-FN1 markMCQQ.Match the following. Hormone - Disorder A) Thyroxine - I. Addison's disease B) Vasopressin - II. Diabetes mellitus C) Glucocorticoids - III. Acromegaly D) Somatotropin - IV. Myxedema
- V. Diabetes insipidus (A) A - IV, B - II, C - I, D - III (B) A - V, B - II, C - IV, D - I (C) A - III, B - I, C - V, D - IV (D) A - IV, B - V, C - I, D - III
›Reveal solutionSolution
Thyroxine→Myxedema, Vasopressin→Diabetes insipidus, Glucocorticoids→Addison's disease, Somatotropin→Acromegaly. Answer: (D).
Concept and Intuition
Endocrine hormone-disorder pairings tested here:
- Thyroxine (thyroid hormone) deficiency in adults causes Myxedema (characterized by low metabolic rate, puffiness/oedema, cold intolerance); deficiency in children causes cretinism.
- Vasopressin (Antidiuretic Hormone, ADH) deficiency impairs the kidney's ability to concentrate urine, causing Diabetes insipidus (excessive dilute urine output, distinct from diabetes mellitus).
- Glucocorticoids (e.g., cortisol) deficiency (often due to adrenal cortex damage) causes Addison's disease (fatigue, weight loss, hypotension, skin pigmentation).
- Somatotropin (Growth Hormone, GH) in excess, after epiphyseal plate closure (i.e., in adults), causes Acromegaly (enlargement of hands, feet, facial bones); excess before puberty causes gigantism.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Match A (Thyroxine) to its associated disorder: Myxedema = IV.
- Match B (Vasopressin) to its associated disorder: Diabetes insipidus = V. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.Match the following Hormones - Disorders A) Insulin - I. Addison's disease B) Growth Hormone - II. Acromegaly C) Thyroxine - III. Diabetes mellitus D) Cortisol - IV. Cretinism
- V. Diabetes insipidus (A) A-III, B-IV, C-V, D-II (B) A-III, B-II, C-IV, D-I (C) A-V, B-II, C-IV, D-I (D) A-IV, B-I, C-III, D-II
›Reveal solutionSolution
Insulin–Diabetes mellitus (III), Growth Hormone–Acromegaly (II), Thyroxine–Cretinism (IV), Cortisol–Addison's disease (I). Answer: (B).
Concept and Intuition
Each endocrine gland's hormone, when deficient or excessive, produces a characteristic clinical disorder taught as a standard hormone-disorder pairing in human physiology:
- Insulin deficiency/insensitivity → high blood glucose → Diabetes mellitus.
- Growth Hormone excess in adults (after epiphyseal plates have closed) → enlargement of extremities/bones → Acromegaly (excess in children instead causes gigantism).
- Thyroxine deficiency from birth/childhood → stunted physical and mental growth → Cretinism (deficiency in adults instead causes myxoedema).
- Cortisol deficiency (adrenal cortex insufficiency) → Addison's disease; cortisol excess instead causes Cushing's syndrome, which is not one of the listed options here.
Step-by-Step Solution
- A) Insulin → Diabetes mellitus, item III.
- B) Growth Hormone → Acromegaly, item II.
- C) Thyroxine → Cretinism, item IV. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set ap-2025-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.Cushing's syndrome is due to hypersecretion of (A) Aldosterone (B) Adrenalin (C) Epinephrine (D) Cortisol
›Reveal solutionSolution
Cushing's syndrome results specifically from excess cortisol secreted by the adrenal cortex. Answer: (D).
Concept and Intuition
The adrenal cortex secretes several classes of steroid hormones from different zones: mineralocorticoids (aldosterone, from zona glomerulosa, regulating Na⁺/K⁺ and blood pressure) and glucocorticoids (cortisol, from zona fasciculata, regulating glucose metabolism and stress response). Each hormone's excess or deficiency produces a distinct named syndrome, and Cushing's syndrome is specifically defined by chronic glucocorticoid (cortisol) excess, whether from the adrenal gland itself, a pituitary ACTH-secreting tumour, or long-term steroid medication.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Recall that Cushing's syndrome presents with features like central obesity, moon face, hyperglycemia, hypertension and muscle wasting — all consequences of chronically elevated glucocorticoid activity.
- Among the options, aldosterone excess would instead cause hyperaldosteronism (hypertension with hypokalemia, not the classic Cushing's picture). …
- KCET 2024Set B-41 markMCQQ.Which of the following hormones is not secreted by human placenta? (A) Progestogen (B) hCG (C) Estrogen (D) LH
›Reveal solutionSolution
The placenta makes hCG, hPL, estrogen, progestogen and relaxin; LH comes from the anterior pituitary, so it is the odd one out.
Step 1 — The placenta as an endocrine organ
Besides supplying nutrients and O2 to the foetus and removing CO2 and wastes, the placenta secretes several hormones:
Placental hormone Main role hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) Maintains the corpus luteum in early pregnancy; the basis of pregnancy tests hPL (human placental lactogen) Metabolic support of the foetus; mammary development Estrogens Growth of uterus and mammary glands Progestogens Maintain the endometrium; prevent uterine contractions Relaxin (later half) Relaxes the pelvic ligaments/cervix for parturition Step 2 — Where does LH come from?
LH is a gonadotropin produced by the anterior pituitary under the control of hypothalamic GnRH. In the ovarian cycle its mid-cycle LH surge triggers ovulation and converts the ruptured follicle into the corpus luteum. …
- KCET 2024Set B-41 markMCQQ.Which of the following is not a parasitic adaptation? (A) Loss of unnecessary sense organs (B) Absence of adhesive organs or suckers (C) Loss of digestive system (D) High reproductive capacity
›Reveal solutionSolution
Parasites acquire suckers/hooks to hold on; "absence of adhesive organs" reverses a real adaptation, so it is the odd one out.
Step 1 — What special adaptations parasites evolve.
Parasites lead a life that is at once easy (food is supplied) and precarious (they must find and stay on a host, and survive its immune attack). Natural selection therefore produces a characteristic suite of special adaptations:
- Loss of unnecessary sense organs — a gut-dwelling worm has no use for eyes or elaborate sensory equipment; maintaining them costs energy, so they degenerate.
- Presence of adhesive organs or suckers to cling on to the host — e.g. the scolex of the tapeworm bears hooks and suckers; the liver fluke has oral and ventral suckers; a leech has anterior and posterior suckers. Without these the parasite would simply be swept away by peristalsis or the blood stream.
- Loss of the digestive system — an endoparasite such as Taenia bathes in the host's already-digested food and absorbs nutrients directly across its body surface, so a gut is superfluous and has been lost entirely.
- High reproductive capacity — the chance of any one offspring reaching a new host is extremely small, so parasites compensate with enormous fecundity (Ascaris lays ~200,000 eggs a day). This is a numbers game against a very low transmission probability.
Step 2 — Compare each option to that list. …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set ap-2024-05-16-AN1 markMCQQ.Removal of this gland results in the death of an individual (A) Adrenal cortex (B) Testis (C) Thyroid gland (D) Thymus gland
›Reveal solutionSolution
Complete removal of the adrenal cortex is fatal because its mineralocorticoids are essential for electrolyte and water balance.
Concept and Intuition
The adrenal cortex secretes three classes of steroid hormones: glucocorticoids (metabolism, stress response), mineralocorticoids (chiefly aldosterone, regulating Na+/K+ balance and blood volume via the kidney), and small amounts of sex corticoids. Aldosterone in particular is indispensable — without it, the body cannot retain sodium and water properly, leading to severe dehydration, dangerously low blood pressure, and fatal electrolyte imbalance. In contrast, removing the testis affects fertility/secondary sexual traits but is not immediately lethal; hypothyroidism from thyroid removal causes serious but manageable metabolic slowdown (treatable with hormone replacement); and the thymus naturally involutes with age without causing death.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Recall the adrenal cortex's key secretion, aldosterone, controls life-sustaining electrolyte/water balance. …
- MHT-CET 2024Set pcb-2024-04-22-M1 markMCQQ.Hypersecretion of glucocorticoid leads to___________ (A) Cushing's disease (B) Addison's disease (C) Grave's disease (D) Bleeders' disease
›Reveal solutionSolution
Glucocorticoid excess → Cushing's disease.
Hypersecretion of glucocorticoids (cortisol) causes Cushing's disease (moon face, truncal obesity, hyperglycaemia). Addison's disease is due to hyposecretion of adrenal cortex hormones; Grave's disease …
- TG EAPCET 2023Set ap-2023-05-10-FN1 markMCQQ.Which of the following depicts the correct pathway of transport of sperms (A) Rete testis - Vasa efferentia - Epididymis - Vas deferens (B) Rete testis - Epididymis - Vasa efferentia - Vas deferens (C) Vasa efferentia - Rete testis - Vas deferens - Epididymis (D) Epididymis - Vasa efferentia - Rete testis - Vas deferens
›Reveal solutionSolution
Sperm are transported from the rete testis, through the vasa efferentia, into the epididymis, and finally into the vas deferens. The correct pathway is (A).
The male reproductive system is designed for the production and transport of sperm. Understanding the precise sequence of structures involved in sperm transport is crucial. Sperm are produced in the testes and then travel through a series of ducts to exit the body. Each duct plays a specific role in maturation, storage, or transport.
Here's the step-by-step pathway of sperm transport:
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Sperm Production Site: Sperm (spermatozoa) are initially produced in the seminiferous tubules within the testes. These tubules are the functional units of the testis where spermatogenesis occurs.
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Rete Testis: From the seminiferous tubules, the sperm move into a network of interconnected tubules called the rete testis. This network collects sperm from multiple seminiferous tubules.
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Vasa Efferentia (Efferent Ductules): From the rete testis, sperm are transported out of the testis proper through several small ducts known as the vasa efferentia (or efferent ductules). These ducts connect the rete testis to the epididymis.
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Epididymis: The vasa efferentia lead into the epididymis, a highly coiled tube located along the posterior surface of each testis. The epididymis is a critical site for sperm maturation, where they acquire motility and fertilizing capacity, and also serves as a storage site for sperm. …
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- TG EAPCET 2023Set ap-2023-05-11-FN1 markMCQQ.Assertion (A): Diabetcs mellitus is symptomized by excretion of glucose through urine and formation of ketone bodies. Reason (R): Anti-diuretic hormone is secreted by the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The correct option among the following is (A) A and R are true. R is the correct explanation of A (B) A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A (C) A is true but R is false (D) Both A and R are false.
›Reveal solutionSolution
The assertion about diabetes mellitus is correct, but the reason about ADH secretion is unrelated to it. So the correct option is (B).
The question tests two separate facts: one about the symptoms of diabetes mellitus, and another about the source of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). The key is to check each statement independently, then see if the reason explains the assertion.
Concept and intuition: Diabetes mellitus involves high blood glucose due to insulin deficiency or resistance. This leads to glucose spilling into urine (glycosuria) and, when cells cannot use glucose, the body breaks down fats, producing ketone bodies (ketosis). ADH, on the other hand, is a hormone that regulates water balance by acting on kidneys — it has nothing to do with glucose or ketone metabolism. So even if both statements are true, the reason does not explain the assertion.
Let’s verify each part step by step.
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Assertion (A): Diabetes mellitus is indeed characterized by excretion of glucose in urine (glycosuria) and formation of ketone bodies (ketosis). This happens because insulin deficiency prevents glucose uptake by cells, leading to hyperglycemia and glucose overflow into urine. Simultaneously, the body switches to fat metabolism, producing ketone bodies like acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. So A is true.
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Reason (R): Anti-diuretic hormone (ADH, also called vasopressin) is synthesized in the hypothalamus and stored in the posterior pituitary, from where it is released into the bloodstream. So the statement “ADH is secreted by the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland” is correct. Thus R is true. …
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