There are terminal methods both for men and women. Male operation is called Vasectomy and the female operation is called Tubectomy.
Important methods for preventing pregnancy are given below:
It is not necessary for both husband and wife to undergo these operations. Only one of them may decide to go in for the sterilisation operations and that would provide them a permanent relief from future pregnancy.
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1. Vasectomy:
The male sterilisation operation is called vasectomy. This operation is performed practically without any trouble.
The male vas is cut and then both ends are tied. The incision is done at both sides of the scrotum. The whole of procedure takes 15 to 20 minutes.
After vasectomy, the person would abstain from coitus for six to eight weeks’ time because some residual sperms may still be present in the semen.
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After the prescribed period the male should get his semen tested. He can stop using contraceptives after the doctors have declared the absence of sperms in his semen.
There are no side effects or complications after the operation, provided it has been performed by a competent surgeon after full sceptic precautions.
2. Tubectomy:
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The Tubectomy operation is performed on women. This is somewhat different from the vasectomy operation and is also not as simple as vasectomy.
This can be performed at any time but preferably three or four days after delivery. The fallopian tubes of both the sides are cut and tied.
After the operation the woman has to rest for about a week. There are no side-effects of the tubectomy operation and the woman continues to feel normal.
Male sterilisation is much quicker and easier, without any real inconvenience to the husband.
It is quite safe and sure.
Both male, female sterilisation operations are permanent terminal methods. They are accepted only after it is decided not to have any more children.
However, in exceptional cases where the couple might like to have more children later on, the vasectomy or tubectomy operations can be reversed by a competent doctor, but it is a complicated surgery.
3. Abortion (Medical Termination of Pregnancy):
The operation for termination of pregnancy is simple and safe within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The patient can go back home after the operation.
Hospitalisation is not necessary in most cases. Sometimes, there may be haemorrhage, pain, fever or menstrual disturbance. These ailments can be quickly treated by qualified doctors in approved hospitals.
Abortions should be performed only at a hospital which has the necessary facilities and has been approved for the purpose by the government. Not all doctors are authorised to perform the operation.
Only doctors with postgraduate qualifications in obstetrics and gynaecology, doctors with five years experience in obstetrics and gynaecology and doctors who have done a six months’s house job in these departments or have had training in medical termination of pregnancy in a hospital approved for such training are authorised for doing abortion operations.
Abortions are done in public hospitals free of charge.
Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, was passed by the government to save women from going to unqualified doctors and quacks. The Act made abortion legal.
Conditions under which pregnancy can be terminated are:
(a) Medical:
Where the continuance of pregnancy might endanger the mother’s life or cause grave injury to her physical or mental health.
(b) Eugenic:
Where there is a substantial risk of the child being born with serious handicaps due to physical or mental abnormalities.
(c) Humanitarian:
Where pregnancy is the result of rape.
(d) Socio-economic:
Where there is risk of injury to the mother.
(e) Failure of contraceptive devices:
Where parents did not want to have any more children but the contraceptive device they used had failed.
Repeated terminations of pregnancies are dangerous to the health of the mother. It can cause complications like haemorrhage, perforation and premature labour in subsequent child-birth.
It is estimated that 23.5 per cent of estimated total of 11.88 crore eligible couples, whose wives are in the reproductive age group 15-44, are protected by one or another kind of approved methods of family welfare as on 31st March 1982.
Since the beginning of the programme of Sterilisation and IUD, 361.8 lakh sterilisations and 95.0 lakh IUD insertions have been done, up to March 1982.
The success of family welfare programme in India depends on people’s willingness to accept it. There are 11.63 crore literate and illiterate couples who are in the reproductive age group.
They live in cities and remote villages. Unless they are told about the harm of having more children and told about the ways to control births, the situation cannot improve.
For this purpose government launched a programme of mass education and motivation. People are pursuaded to adopt family planning methods.
It has been established beyond doubt that India must control its population. Therefore, India was the first country in the world in regard to starting a national family planning programme.
The programme was started in 1952 and was given adequate attention during five year plans.
Under these programmes, it provided family planning advice to government hospital and medical centres in the rural areas; extensive education was aimed for the remote areas during third plan period.
Highest priority to family planning programme was given during the fourth plan. Tremendous success was achieved in the field of family planning during emergency. But at the same time it was alleged that coercive methods had been used at some places.
Therefore, in 1977 the Government declared that the programme is purely voluntary. Since the programme is welfare-oriented, its name was also changed to family welfare programmes.
It is an undeniable fact that family planning is for the betterment of citizens. Still government is trying its best to advice, guide and provide family planning service of the choice of people.
Concerned efforts are being made to provide, improve the maternal and child health care. This would encourage people to adopt small family because small family is a happy family.