Zoology · Ch 3 — Reproductive Health
Population Explosion and Birth Control
Population Explosion and Birth Control
Population Explosion and Birth Control
Better health facilities and improved living conditions have a paradoxical side effect: people live longer and more children survive to adulthood, so the population grows faster than before. India's population has already crossed 1.26 billion and, on UN projections, is expected to overtake China as the world's most populous country around 2022. Left unmanaged, this growth strains food supply, healthcare, education and every other shared resource a society depends on.
Birth control — the voluntary use of contraceptive procedures to prevent fertilization, or to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus — is the practical response. An ideal contraceptive method should be easy to use, easily available, carry minimal side effects, and not interfere with sexual drive; no single method scores perfectly on every criterion, which is exactly why so many different methods coexist. Government efforts have combined direct legal change (raising the minimum marriageable age to 18 for women and 21 for men) with public messaging campaigns — Tamil Nadu's own slogans 'Naam iruvar namakku iruvar' (we two, ours two) and 'Naam iruvar namakku oruvar' (we two, ours one) are well-known examples — alongside financial incentives for couples who keep their families small. …
What this figure shows. A branching tree diagram titled 'BIRTH CONTROL METHODS' that classifies every method covered in the chapter into two top-level branches, Temporary method and Permanent Method. The Temporary branch splits into four families: Natural method (Periodic abstinence/rhythm method, Continuous abstinence, Coitus interruptus, Lactational Amenorrhoea), Barrier method (Chemical barrier — foaming tablets, melting suppositories, jellies and creams; Mechanical barrier — Condom, Diaphragm; Hormonal barrier — Oral contraceptives, further split into Minipills such as Saheli/centchroman), and Intrauterine Devices (split into Copper releasing IUDs — CuT-380A, Nova T Cu, CuT-380Ag, Multiload — Hormonal releasing IUDs — Progestasert, LNG, Vaginal Ring — and Non-medicated IUDs), plus Subcutaneous Implants. The Permanent branch splits into Sterilisation (Tubectomy, Vasectomy) and Implant/Essure. The diagram is a visual summary of every named c …