MTP and sexually transmitted infections

Medical termination of pregnancy (MTP), or induced abortion, is the deliberate ending of a pregnancy before full term. India made it legal in 1971, with strict conditions to prevent misuse, and the Act was amended in 2017. MTP is used, for example, when continuing the pregnancy would harm the mother or the foetus, or when contraception has failed.

MTP is relatively safe during the first trimester, up to about 12 weeks of pregnancy. Later it is much riskier. A serious problem is that many MTPs are done illegally by unqualified people (quacks), which is dangerous and can be fatal. Another is its misuse to abort female foetuses. Proper counselling, legal procedures and qualified doctors are essential.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) spread through sexual contact. The common ones:

• Gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydiasis, trichomoniasis: caused by bacteria or other microbes, and curable if treated early.
• Genital herpes and genital warts: caused by viruses.
• Hepatitis-B and HIV (which leads to AIDS): these also spread through shared injection needles, surgical instruments, and transfusion of infected blood, and from an infected mother to her baby.

Hepatitis-B, genital herpes and HIV infections are not completely curable; the others can be cured if they are found early and treated properly. STIs are most common among people aged 15-24.

STIs are often detected late, especially in women: early signs are slight (itching, discharge, mild pain) and some infected people have no symptoms at all, while social stigma stops many from seeking help. Untreated, they can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, abortions, still births, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and even cancer of the reproductive tract.

They are preventable: avoid sex with unknown partners or many partners, always use condoms, and see a qualified doctor early about any doubt.