Understanding Reproductive Health Needs of Adolescents

                                                                   

Reproductive health is a very important aspect of the lives of adolescents who are at formative stage in terms of sexual and reproductive maturity.  It is a critical period which influences one's reproductive health and well-being throughout life. 

Adolescence is the developmental period during which growing persons make a transition, from childhood to adulthood. Adolescents constitute an important a sizable part of the population.  They are getting more and more and more dangerously involved in sex, with the society paying a very high price of this development.  

There is therefore, an increasing recognition that reproductive health needs of the adolescents have to be articulated in terms of information and services; so that they can make informed choices leading to improvement in their health status.

Adolescent reproductive health refers to physical and emotional well-being of adolescents, and includes their ability to be free from unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS and all forms of sexual violence. 

Reproductive health education is an educational experience aimed at building the capacity of adolescents to understand their sexuality in the context of biological, psychological, social-cultural and reproductive dimensions and to acquire skills in making responsible decisions and with regard to sexual and reproductive health behaviour. 

Adolescence is a period of rapid growth and development in physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual and social domains from the onset of puberty to maturity. The term adolescence meaning ‘to emerge' or ‘active identity' is relatively new concept, especially in development thinking.  

The origin of the term from the Latin word ‘adolescence' meaning to grow to mature indicates the defining features of adolescence.