Definition
- A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease/ infirmity in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes.
Basic RH Rights
- Right to RH information and health care services for safe pregnancy and childbirth
- Right to know different means of regulating fertility to preserve health and where to obtain them
- Freedom to decide the number and timing of birth of children
- Right to exercise satisfying sex life
Factors/ Determinants of RH
- Socioeconomic conditions – education, employment, poverty, nutrition, living condition/ environment, family environment
- Status of women – equal right in education and in making decisions about her own RH; right to be free from torture and ill treatment and to participate in politics
- Social and Gender Issues
- Biological (individual knowledge of reproductive organs and their functions), cultural (country’s norms, RH practices) and psychosocial factors
Elements
- Maternal and Child Health Nutrition
- Family Planning
- Prevention and Management of Abortion Complications
- Prevention and Treatment of Reproductive Tract Infections, including STDs, HIV and AIDS
- Education and Counseling on Sexuality and Sexual Health
- Breast and Reproductive Tract Cancers and other Gynecological Conditions
- Men’s Reproductive Health
- Adolescent Reproductive Health
- Violence Against Women
- Prevention and Treatment of Infertility and Sexual Disorders
Selected Concepts
- RH is the exercise of reproductive right with responsibility
- It means safe pregnancy and delivery, the right of access to appropriate health information and services
- It includes protection from unwanted pregnancy by having access to safe and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice
- It includes protection from harmful reproductive practices and violence
- It ensures sexual health for the purpose of enhancement of life and personal relations and assures access to information on sexuality to achieve sexual enjoyment
Goal
- To achieve healthy sexual development and maturation
- To achieve their reproductive intention
- To avoid diseases, injuries and disabilities related to sexuality and reproduction
- To receive appropriate counseling and care of RH problems
Strategies
- Increase and improve the use of more effective or modern contraceptive methods
- Provision of care, treatment and rehabilitation for RH
- RH care provision should be focused on adolescents, men and unmarried and other displaced people with RH problems
- Strengthen outreach activities and referral system
- Prevent specific RH problems through information dissemination and counseling of clients
