Reproductive health is a rather complex term, and everyone understands it differently. If we follow the generally accepted definition given to this phrase by the World Health Organization, then it means complete psychological, social and physical readiness to enter into sexual relations for the purpose of procreation. Moreover, human reproductive health implies the absence of any infections and other unfavorable conditions of the body that could affect the unfavorable outcome of pregnancy, the inability reconception or the birth of a handicapped child.

Factors that destroy reproductive health

There are simply an incredible number of aspects that can negatively affect the ability to have offspring. So what's stopping you from saving? reproductive health:

• too much early start sexual life and his Negative consequences;
• infections and diseases that are sexually transmitted;
• amoral behavior;
• bad condition environment and low-quality food products;
• genetic failures and hormonal disorders;
• an abundance of bad addictions and so on.

The reproductive health of men, as well as women, must be preserved from infancy. This implies timely examination by appropriate doctors, compliance with the rules of the child’s personal hygiene and daily routine. can be triggered by many factors, such as alcoholism, steroid use, the habit of wearing tight underwear or taking a bath for a long time.

Reproductive period

This term refers to the part of a man’s or woman’s life during which they are able to successfully conceive, bear and give birth to a child. IN different countries this indicator is calculated in different ways because it is influenced by many statistical indicators. However, it is generally accepted that a woman is ready for procreation when her first menstruation begins, and the reproductive phase ends when she begins. The optimal age of a man should not exceed the mark of 35-40 years. Human ontogenesis and reproductive health are integral parts of each other. This fact is due to the fact that at each stage of his development, a person can, independently or under influence, worsen or improve the quality of his life and the ability to reproduce his own kind.

Reproductive health

Each state develops a set of legislative acts that establish the rights of the population to procreate. The main measures taken in this area include:

• provision of free medicine;
• prevention of reproductive health disorders;
• undergoing mandatory medical examinations;
• carrying out explanatory work by employees social services;
• increasing the level of material and moral well-being of the population, and so on.

Reproductive health and behavior largely depend on the parenting tactics used in the family. After all, it is close people who have greatest influence on a young member of society and wish him only the best.

Reproductive health criteria

In order to assess a person’s ability to procreate, a special system of general and specific criteria was created, such as:

Reproductive health of individuals and society should become the norm of behavior of the population of any country, since it is through joint efforts that the increasingly deteriorating demographic situation can be corrected.

INTRODUCTION

Reproductive health - important factor, which shapes the country’s favorable demographic prospects. Currently in Russia there is a problem of fertility, which is largely associated with reproductive behavior, a decrease in the number of women of childbearing age and the deterioration of their health.

Modern practice shows that preventing induced abortions, including illegal ones, with the help of modern contraception can reduce maternal mortality by 25-50%. Therefore, family planning is currently considered as one of the essential elements protecting the health of women, mothers and children, as this allows them to maintain the health of adolescents and carry out prevention unwanted pregnancy, infertility, venereal diseases, AIDS and ensure optimal intervals between births, taking into account the woman’s age, the number of children in the family and other factors, i.e. prevent too early, late and frequent births.

Motherhood and childhood are a necessary condition the existence of society, because without the process of reproduction the life of society is impossible at all. The phenomenon of motherhood and childhood has been and is currently the subject of scientific study. A number of federal laws adopted recently are aimed at improving the financial situation of women during pregnancy and after the birth of a child, as well as protecting the interests of the family and children, and increasing population reproduction. However, these and other measures, despite their certain positive impact, cannot fundamentally change the demographic situation in the country. It requires a number of consistent, comprehensive and targeted measures by the legislative and executive authorities at both the federal and regional levels, as evidenced by the adoption of Articles 18, 19 Federal Law“On the basics of protecting the health of citizens in Russian Federation» dated November 21, 2011 No. 323-FZ.

As we see, women’s reproductive health depends on many factors, including the use of medicinal contraceptives, which not only prevent abortions, but also allow family planning.

The relevance of the topic is beyond doubt, because... Over the past two decades, the problem of human reproduction, planning children using contraceptives, prevention and treatment has been the focus of attention of scientists around the world.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

The concept of “Reproductive health”

The concept of “reproductive health” became widespread in the world in the 1980s and its content is closely related to the right of women and men to health care, in the field of reproductive system, And healthy image life. According to the WHO definition, “reproductive health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being and not simply the absence of disease or infirmity in all respects to the reproductive system of the body and its normal functioning.”

In this light, reproductive health includes:

Safe and effective protection against unwanted pregnancy; - the ability to access and choose safe methods and means of contraception,

Safe termination of pregnancy;

Safe pregnancy and care before, during and after birth;

Infertility treatment;

Treatment of reproductive diseases;

Treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

In general, the reproductive health care system is focused primarily on providing assistance to women of childbearing age, and mainly during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as after childbirth. It does not include girls and boys, as well as adolescents, as well as men and women of late reproductive age and the elderly. Women aged 35-44 years make up 29% of the number of women of reproductive age in Russia. They carry out active professional activities, raise children and lead an active sex life. Meanwhile, the state of their reproductive health is alarming. During a sample examination of 1000 women conducted under her leadership, 2/3 of the patients were found to have chronic cardiovascular diseases. vascular system, urinary system and digestion - and all this against the background of gynecological diseases. “Gynecological morbidity is high - ranging from 45 to 65% according to different authors. Among diseases, the first place is occupied by inflammatory diseases (50-55%), followed by uterine fibroids, prolapse of the genital organs, disorders menstrual cycle. About 10% of gynecological patients of this age suffered surgery on the genitals."

Women over 49 years of age are much more likely than others age groups suffer from oncological diseases genital organs, as well as diseases of the circulatory system, which are also largely initiated by the state of the reproductive system. More recently, in Russia they began to consider osteoporosis as a disease, which affects up to 3/4 of older women, and perhaps more. Doctors rarely provide qualified assistance in the treatment of osteoporosis, since they know little about the nature of this disease and treatment methods. Likewise, women rarely go to doctors for climacteric syndrome, and many experience it as “ natural state» aging female body, using mainly traditional “folk” methods to alleviate their condition. Many of them, as is clear from the interviews we received, are afraid of menopause and have very vague ideas about it. The health situation of older women is as follows: as a rule, women of this age are more likely than others to provide assistance in caring for their loved ones - husbands, children, grandchildren. When situations arise that medical care They themselves need it, they do not receive it or receive it in a much smaller volume. According to researchers, “in the urban population, older people make up up to 40% of those applying for medical care to clinics, about 60% - for care at home, 70% - among those being treated in a hospital.” But most of them are women. And very often they are denied hospitalization or an ambulance call. quality treatment. This group of women is much less likely to have access to paid medical services, as well as care services during illness. The situation not only cannot be resolved at the state level, but is simply ignored. But here we are dealing with discrimination of citizens on two grounds at once: gender and age, as well as a violation of the constitutional right to health care.

The number and quality of reproductive health specialists also needs to be increased due to extreme insufficiency, and in some cases - such as in andrology or pediatric gynecology - practically complete absence. The number of average medical personnel, especially nurses and midwives. The number of beds for gynecological patients, as well as the number of women's and children's clinics, has not decreased much.

Great importance should be given to the possibility of access and choice of methods and means of contraception that are safe for health.

Traditionally, population problems were studied within the framework of demographic science, but as a result of their long-term understanding by the international scientific and political community, this problem began to be interpreted more broadly, including medical and socio-psychological aspects. Health, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not just the absence of disease or infirmity. At the same time, the concept of “health” is relatively conditional and is objectively established by a set of anthropometric, clinical, physiological and biochemical indicators, determined taking into account gender and age factors, as well as climatic and geographical conditions.

The most important component of this concept is reproductive health. According to the recommendations of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994), reproductive health means not only the absence of diseases of the reproductive system, disorders of its functions and/or processes in it, but also a state of complete physical and social well-being. This means the possibility of a satisfied and safe sex life, ability to reproduce (having children) and independent decision family planning issues. Provides the right of men and women to information about and access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of birth control that are consistent with the law. The possibility of access to appropriate health care services is affirmed, allowing a woman to safely undergo pregnancy and childbirth, creating optimal conditions for birth healthy child. The concept of “reproductive health” also includes sexual health - a condition that allows a person to fully experience sexual desire and implement it, while receiving satisfaction.

This phenomenon is of particular interest to sociologists and social psychologists, since reproductive health is almost entirely determined by behavior - a long-standing object of both empirical and theoretical sociological and socio-psychological research. To specify the area of ​​study, sexual and reproductive behavior is distinguished from the entire behavioral field. Of particular interest in this regard is the sexual and reproductive behavior of adolescents and young people, since adolescence behavioral patterns are formed, many of which in the future have an impact on health and life expectancy.

The second interesting aspect of the problem is related to the concepts of “sexuality” and “reproduction” and the processes behind them.

Thus, today the issue of reproductive health of the population is of interest not only to doctors and psychologists, but also to sociologists. Special attention adolescent sexuality, which has strong social determinants, deserves. The importance of the problem of teenage sexuality cannot be underestimated, because it leads to serious and sometimes tragic consequences. Being extremely sensitive and long banned for discussion at any level, issues related to this problem have always worried teenagers, giving rise to myths, shame, and sometimes fear.

Based on the type of impact on reproductive health, two types of reproductive toxicity effects can be distinguished, which are the result of influence directly on male and female sexual function(fertility) and offspring development.

The first type of effects manifests itself in the form of such changes in male and female reproductive health as delayed sexual development, decreased fertility and libido, persistent disorders of the menstrual cycle and spermatogenesis, gynecological diseases, disruption of pregnancy (threatened abortion, spontaneous abortion, threatened premature birth, complications of the second half of pregnancy), childbirth and lactation, premature reproductive aging, etc.

The second type of effects includes disturbances in the normal development of the fetus, both before and after birth, due to adverse effects on either parent before conception or effects on the development of the offspring in the prenatal and postnatal period. These could be stillbirths birth defects development, morphogenetic malformations, small or large weight of the newborn, disturbances in the proportion of newborns, etc.

We will consider changes in individual indicators of reproductive health under the influence of a polluted environment physiological cycle- ranging from the inability to conceive a child to health problems in newborn children. Adverse changes in the reproductive health of children when parents and offspring are exposed to a polluted environment can appear quite early. Reproductive system in childhood and adolescence is highly sensitive to various environmental factors. The risk of reproductive health disorders in children and adolescents increases during critical periods of growth and development of the body and largely determines the usefulness of reproductive function. The pathogenesis of emerging disorders of this function is very complex.

Reproductive health, its components and characteristics

Even during intrauterine development, the fetus develops all organ systems, including the reproductive one. It turns out that the child has not yet been born, and his health from the point of view of reproduction is either quite good, or has already received its share of negative impacts.

Reproductive health is a component general condition body. It turns out that it directly depends on the mother’s lifestyle during pregnancy, as well as on the health of the father.

Reproductive health concept

This term is directly related to demographic science, which studies the mortality and birth rates in a society. But reproductive health is part general health a person, which includes physical, spiritual and social well-being.

If we talk about the health of the reproductive system, we mean not only the absence of diseases in the reproductive system, dysfunctions, but also the state of mind and social well-being. Currently, not only doctors, but also psychologists and sociologists take care of reproductive health.

Statistical data

Statistics are a stubborn thing, and in recent years they have given increasingly disappointing results. Our younger generation leads an incorrect lifestyle, and in some cases has not very good heredity, so a large percentage of young people risk joining the army of childless people. The reproductive health of adolescents leaves much to be desired. Factors that adversely affect it include: early onset of sexual activity; a large percentage of diseases that are sexually transmitted; a huge number of young people who drink alcohol and smoke.

All this leads to the fact that very young girls come for abortions, and this cannot but affect their reproductive health. It leads to various diseases in the reproductive system, disorders monthly cycle. The trouble is that young people do not rush to the doctor at the first symptoms of the disease, hoping that everything will soon return to normal on its own. Now a large number of Children are already born with certain pathologies, but what can we say then about their health when they approach the age when it’s time to start a family and have children? According to statistics, back to top family life Almost every second person has chronic diseases that can directly or indirectly affect a person’s reproductive health. That is why lately this issue has been of so much concern not only medical workers, but also the whole society. Healthy children are our future, but how can they be born as such when their future parents cannot boast of their reproductive health?

Conditions for maintaining reproductive health

Reproductive health of an individual and society are closely interconnected. The question arises, what can be done to ensure that the future generation is born healthy and capable of giving birth to equally healthy children? If you carefully study the recommendations, there is nothing impossible in them.

The very first thing any teenager entering into sex life that protection from unwanted pregnancy should come first. Be actively involved in the prevention and treatment of all diseases of the genital area. Modern contraceptives allow you to prevent unwanted pregnancy, you must use them. Adequate treatment all sexually transmitted infections. It is advisable to plan any pregnancy. Lead a healthy lifestyle. Strictly observe the rules of personal hygiene, and this applies not only to girls, but also to men. Strengthen your immunity. Try to eat healthy and avoid eating foods that are harmful to your health.

Rules that anyone can follow, but, unfortunately, not everyone thinks about it. And the reproductive health of adolescents will certainly affect their condition during adult life, on the health and well-being of their children. It is the direct responsibility of parents to constantly educate girls and boys on these issues.

Diseases and reproductive function

Currently available huge list diseases that negatively affect the reproductive health of the family.

Infectious diseases. Among them there are those that can lead to infertility, for example, chicken pox, mumps, especially in boys.

About sexually transmitted infections there is no need to talk at all.

General somatic diseases.

Problems with cardiovascular system, kidneys, liver, diabetes mellitus can not only worsen the condition of the body, but also disrupt hormonal background, and this cannot but affect reproductive health.

Congenital diseases. Many doctors are convinced that in most cases, infertility originates from early childhood. And this applies to both boys and girls.

Taking medications. Some have a fairly strong effect on reproductive function. These include: corticosteroids; anticonvulsants; antidepressants; tranquilizers; neuroleptics. Of course, in some situations you simply cannot do without these drugs, but it is always necessary to assess the health risks, especially if you are planning to have children.

External environment and reproductive health

Reproductive health is not only the state of a person’s sexual sphere, but also general well-being, which is not always high level. A large number of external factors have a direct impact on reproductive function.

Stress

Our life is such that stressful situations They lie in wait almost everywhere: at home and at work. From this arises chronic lack of sleep, fatigue, development of neuroses - and now there are disturbances in the reproductive system.

Bad habits

A large number of both women and men use alcoholic drinks and smoke. This affects the formation of germ cells, they can already receive various defects. What kind of healthy children can we talk about if the eggs and sperm are initially unhealthy! Injuries to the genital organs, especially in men, disrupt spermatogenesis and lead to decreased sexual function.

Effect of high temperature

The production has workshops where the technological cycle runs at elevated temperatures. Some doctors are of the opinion that this is harmful for the male body. It is for this reason that boys are not recommended to wear diapers for a long time.

Poor nutrition

An excess of chemicals in modern products not only leads to common problems with health, but also affects our reproductive function. Basics proper nutrition must be instilled in the child from childhood.

It will not be possible to completely get rid of such impacts, but everyone has the power to change the situation for the better and to some extent eliminate or reduce the impact of negative factors.

Risk factors for reproductive health

Scientific circles have long been conducting various studies on the influence of factors on the health of pregnant women and the female gender in general in reproductive age. During long-term observations, several groups of factors were identified:

Social-psychological - this is the effect of stress, nervous tension and feelings of anxiety and fear.

Genetic- the presence or absence of mutations in germ cells.

Professional- if your professional activity associated with harmful and dangerous substances or types of work, it is necessary to exclude the influence of such factors upon the onset of pregnancy, or better yet before planning it.

Environmental- we can least influence these factors, well, if only we move to a more favorable area from an environmental point of view.

Consequences of deteriorating reproductive health

Any doctor will tell you that the characteristics of reproductive health in recent years have left much to be desired. The following examples prove this: The majority of the population of childbearing age suffers from various infectious and inflammatory diseases. The reproductive health of both men and women is deteriorating sharply. The number of infertile marriages is growing every year. Infant mortality is not decreasing, but, on the contrary, increasing. A large number of children are born with genetic diseases. Oncology is becoming the scourge of our society, and a huge number of patients belong to the younger generation. The nation's gene pool is rapidly depleting. What other evidence is needed to understand that something needs to be done to strengthen and improve the reproductive health of primarily young people.

Protecting reproductive health of the population

The concept of protection includes a large number of methods, procedures and services that can support the reproductive health of young families and everyone individual person. IN modern conditions protection problems are of great importance and relevance.

Much prevention work is needed various diseases, especially those that influence genital area. Education must begin with the family and continue throughout educational institutions. We need to talk about this with the younger generation. A special role must be given to:

Prevention of abortion, especially at an early age;

Prevention from infection various infections which are sexually transmitted;

Consider issues of family planning and childbirth.

It is necessary to prepare for this, and the first step may be to attend a genetic consultation, where specialists will help calculate the likelihood of having children with disabilities. various pathologies. Despite the not very favorable environmental situation, a person’s reproductive health largely depends on himself. This is in your power, no one will do it for you. Remember about your children and future grandchildren; their health also depends on your lifestyle.

Reproductive health

Reproductive health concept

According to WHO definition, reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being of the reproductive system, its functions and processes, including the reproduction of offspring and the harmony of psychosexual relationships in the family.

Reproductive health is influenced by many factors - medical, socio-economic, environmental, etc. The most important of them are:

Somatic and mental health;

Unhealthy lifestyle of the child's parents;

Lack of hormonal contraception industry in Russia;

Deterioration in the health of newborn children;

Heavy physical exercise women in production;

Exposure to adverse chemical and physical factors environment;

Shrinking reality social guarantees;

Declining standard of living

Reproductive health – a system of measures to ensure the appearance of healthy offspring, prevention and treatment reproductive organs, protection against sexually transmitted diseases, family planning, prevention of maternal and infant mortality.

Protecting reproductive health is all the more important because the deterioration of reproductive health is reflected in medical and demographic indicators: fertility, infant mortality, morbidity in pregnant women, infertility in marriages, etc.

Family planning

According to the WHO definition, family planning is the provision of control reproductive function for the birth of healthy and desired children.

Family planning – a set of medical, social and legal measures carried out with the aim of giving birth to desired children, regulating the intervals between pregnancies, controlling the timing of childbearing, and preventing unwanted pregnancies.

Family planning includes:

ü preparation for desired pregnancy;

ü examination and treatment of infertile couples;

ü contraception.

Birth control - one of the most important tasks states, because fertility ensures normal conditions existence of future generations.

The demographic situation in the Russian Federation in recent years has been characterized by a decline in the birth rate, the level of which over the past 10 years was the lowest in 1995 and amounted to 9.6 children per 1000 people. population. Infant, perinatal and maternal mortality rates remain high. Unfavorable indicators of population reproduction are observed against the backdrop of deteriorating health status of pregnant women. Over the past 10 years, the incidence of anemia in pregnant women has increased more than 6 times, and the incidence of organ anemia has increased 4 times genitourinary system, 2 times – circulatory system and gestosis.

A consequence of the deteriorating health status of pregnant women is an increase in the number of births with various complications. The situation with HIV infection has sharply worsened, infertility is widespread, the level of reproductive culture of the population is low, and there is insufficient awareness of the population on family planning issues.

In order to improve the reproductive health of the population, the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 28, 1996 developed and approved a National Action Plan to improve the situation of women and increase their role in society. Order No. 355 of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation dated October 7, 1996 was issued, defining the measures, procedure and timing for the implementation of the National Action Plan.

During recent years also accepted in Russia important documents of a legislative nature, protecting the rights of women, families and defining legal status motherhood and childhood. For example, in order to reduce maternal mortality and the number serious complications associated with late abortions, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 567 dated May 8, 1996, which determined the list of social indications for termination of pregnancy in late dates. The adoption of the above order is aimed at reducing the number of criminal interventions, preserving the health and saving the lives of women.

Family planning is one of the the most important problems health care of the entire state as a whole. The solution to this problem is aimed at creating conditions for the birth of healthy and desired children, protecting the reproductive health of the population and thereby preserving the gene pool of the nation. Family planning concerns every person, but is essentially a problem of the country's national security, since it is directly related to the health of future generations. Therefore, by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated August 18, 1994, the federal target programs “Family Planning” and “Safe Motherhood” were approved as part of the “Children of Russia” program, which is aimed at ensuring the birth of desired and healthy children, preventing child and maternal morbidity, and reducing mortality .

As part of the implementation federal program Family Planning has created a family planning service in the country. Currently, there are approximately 200 regional centers for family planning and reproduction in Russia. They are faced with the task of changing the current practice of achieving the desired number of children in a family, using contraception, rather than abortion, which harms the reproductive health of women. In addition, the tasks of the centers include explanatory work regarding optimal age for the birth of children.

Important role Public organizations play a role in the implementation of the 2Family Planning program: Russian Family Planning Association, which has 50 branches in the regions of the country; International Association "Family and Health"; Russian society on contraception.

The work of family planning services allows:

· reduce the frequency of unplanned pregnancies;

· achieve a reduction in many types of obstetric and gynecological pathologies;

· reduce maternal and perinatal mortality.

But in the activities of family planning centers, many issues remain controversial, for example, the promotion of contraceptives among adolescents. In many cases, unfortunately, this activity, not to mention the moral side, leads to such undesirable consequences as an increase in sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents and an increase in pregnancy among minors.

Order of the Ministry of Health of the RSFSR dated November 15, 1991 No. 186 “On measures for further development gynecological care to the population" provides for the inclusion of workers social sphere to the family planning service, assigning them the functions of active patronage of women at risk, working with displaced persons, refugees, women on maternity leave, and women with antisocial behavior.

8.2.1. Preparing for the desired pregnancy

Preparing for the desired pregnancy is the main point in family planning. Spouses 2 months before the planned pregnancy should completely abandon bad habits(alcohol, smoking, drugs). The favorable age of the mother is 19-35 years. The interval between births should be at least 2-2.5 years and preferably no more than 5 years.

Conception is permissible no less than 2 months after the spouses have undergone infectious disease. It is advisable to conceive in autumn and winter (the percentage of spontaneous mutations and the risk of immune conflict are reduced). In women suffering chronic diseases, pregnancy is permissible, depending on the disease, only if there are no exacerbations for 1-5 years.

Pregnancy in exposed workers unfavorable factors, can be recommended only after 1-3 years of work in production, i.e. after the development of persistent adaptation.

Prevention of the onset of unwanted (unplanned) events

Pregnancy.

In preventing unplanned pregnancy great importance has use by partners various methods contraception, which avoids induced abortion. The contraceptive method is selected taking into account medical indications and contraindications, as well as taking into account the living conditions of the family.

There are several methods of contraception:

1. mechanical contraceptives - the most common are condoms, or male condoms. Women use vaginal diaphragms and cervical caps, which are administered before sexual intercourse. Their preventive role against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection, has been proven;

2. chemical , or spermicidal contraceptives - creams, pastes, powders, suppositories, aerosols, etc. The mechanism of action of these contraceptives is based on the spermotoxic effect;

3. physiological method , or rhythm method - is based on the physiological sterility of women at the beginning and end of the menstrual cycle. But this method is not recommended in case of emotional or physical overload, climate change, irregular cycle and after abortions;

4. intrauterine contraception- most common in our country (VMK). Intrauterine contraceptives are highly effective (97%), do not affect the body, are easy to use, and are available to anyone. social groups, they can be used long-term and continuously. There are two types of VMC: 1) inert (not containing chemicals) and 2) medicinal. Of the inert ones, it has become widespread intrauterine contraceptive made of polyethylene, shaped like a double letter S. The size is selected by the doctor, duration of use is 2 years. Spirals made of copper wire are known among medications. Sometimes the spiral material contains silver in addition to copper. Duration of use is 3-5 years.

5. oral hormonal contraception– is currently considered the most effective, but it is contraindicated in diseases of the s.s.s., liver, diabetes mellitus etc. The most widely used are Logest, Novinet, Regulon, Mercilon, Marvelon, Trimercy, etc.

6. interrupted sexual intercourse- a common method of contraception. Unfortunately, this method disrupts the physiology of sexual intercourse and negatively affects female and male organisms;

7. surgical methods– sterilization of men and women, maintenance of subcutaneous implants providing contraception for up to 5 years.

The selection of contraceptives should be individual, and this should be done by a doctor.

It should be noted that the Church has a negative attitude towards contraception, considering interference in God’s Providence unacceptable, especially since contraceptives are essentially abortifacients, i.e. the use of contraceptives is tantamount to abortion, “since it destroys a life that has already begun.” The Church considers abstinence from sexual intercourse to be the only acceptable way to avoid pregnancy.