The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines reproductive health as the reproductive processes, functions and systems at all stages of life. Reproductive health, therefore, implies that people are able to have a responsible, satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so.
Implicit in this are the right of men and women to be informed of and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of fertility and sexual infection regulation of their choice, and programmes that allow women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth with the best chance of having a healthy infant.
The WHO assessed in 2008 that "Reproductive and sexual ill-health accounts for 20% of the global burden of ill-health for women, and 14% for men". Reproductive health is a part of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
More than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day worldwide. STIs present a major burden of disease and negatively affect people’s well-being across the globe. Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis are three STIs which are all caused by bacteria and which can potentially be cured by antibiotics. Unfortunately, these STIs often go undiagnosed and due to antibiotic resistance, they are also becoming increasingly difficult to treat.
Reproductive health should be looked at through a lifecycle approach as it affects both men and women from infancy to old age. According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), reproductive health at any age profoundly affects health later in life. The lifecycle approach incorporates the challenges people face at different times in their lives such as family planning, services to prevent sexually transmitted infections and early diagnosis and treatment of reproductive health illnesses.
Source BioScience is proud to offer a suite of services that aim to improve the sexual health of the population, from Sexually Transmitted Infections tests to Pre-implantation Genetic Screening tests.
For further information and prices please contact us or call +44 (0)115 973 9012