Reproductive System

Sexual Health and Reproduction
Copyright, 2003 by Dr. Ingrid Waldron, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania[1]


In this activity you will search for answers to questions dealing with sexual health and reproduction by using the Internet. Be sure to write your answers in your own words. You can ask your instructor for help if you need it. If you have extra time, you canexplore any of the websites listed to investigate additional topics.


For questions that don’t have specific websites listed, you can search for answers using:
▪ Medscape www.medscape.com
▪ Healthfinder www.healthfinder.gov
▪ HeliosHealth www.helioshealth.com
▪ Medhunt www.hon.ch
▪ National Institutes of Health www.nih.gov/health
▪ Mayo Clinicwww.mayohealth.org.
▪ KidsHealth: teens www.kidshealth.org/ and go to "teens"
▪ Information on puberty and teens’ health issues www.teengrowth.com


While there are lots of websites besides these, you should stick to andare trustworthy, and it is important to make sure you are getting accurate information. Generally, you can check the reliability of a website by a number ofcriteria:
▪ Medical schools, the government, or other organizations that have a reputation for being trustworthy usually have reliable information on their websites.
▪ Websites endorsed by someone you trust (such as your teachers) are also generally reliable.
▪ A reliable website should also clearly indicate who prepared the information on it, and when it was last updated (make surethe information on the website isn’t outdated).


The websites listed in these instructions are reliable.

HIV & AIDS

Sources you can use:
• http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/faqs.htm
▪ www.aegis.com
▪ http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/howhiv.htm


1. What is HIV? What is AIDS?





2. How does HIV cause AIDS?






3. How does AIDS kill you?4. What are the most common ways that HIV is passed from one person to another?






5. What are the most effective ways you can reduce your risk of getting HIV?

Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases


Sources you can use:
- http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/dstd/disease_info.htm
(This Web address has an underline between disease and info.)
Do a search for sexually transmitteddiseases (STDs) other than HIV using the sources listed on the first page.

1. What are some other sexually transmitted diseases? Name at least two.





2. How can you tell if you have the STDs that you listed? What are some of their symptoms?








3. What are the effects of these STDs on a person’s health? Do these STDs have different effects on men and women? Do theseSTDs affect a woman’s ability to have children?








4. How can you protect yourself against getting STDs?
Risks of Alcohol and Smoking during Pregnancy
Many studies have shown that drinking alcohol or smoking when pregnant can be dangerous to the baby. Drinking and smoking can cause low birth weight or birth defects. Using the websites listed on the first page, search for “FetalAlcohol Syndrome” or “smoking and pregnancy” to find answers to the following questions.


1. If a pregnant woman drinks 2-5 alcoholic drinks per day, what effects does this have on the developing baby?






2. What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome? What problems will a baby born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome have in later life when he or she is a child or adult?






3. If a pregnantwoman smokes cigarettes, what effects does this have on the developing baby? List some of the problems that the baby can develop as a result of being exposed to cigarette smoke.





4. How are alcohol and chemicals from cigarette smoke carried to the fetus?

Fetal Development

Sources you can use:
▪ http://www.helioshealth.com/pregnancy/baby/
▪ www.mayohealth.org --...