Responsible parenthood and reproductive health of adolescents as components of sexual education
Authors:   Комунальний заклад “Харківська гуманітарно-педагогічна академія” Харківської обласної ради, Onypchenko O. 
Published: March 2019

The article shows that an important problem of Ukraine is the preservation of reproductive potential and the birth of healthy posterity. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), today Ukraine occupies one of the last places among the countries of the European Union in terms of natural population growth. This situation is happening due to the peculiarities of reproductive behavior and the population's reproductive motivation, which depends on the economic and socio-psychological state of the population. Essential to the implementation of childbearing function is reproductive health. The author emphasizes that the problem of maternity and paternity has recently become increasingly disciplinary in nature, becoming an important subject of study not only in the sciences traditionally directly related to it (medicine, physiology, behavioral biology), but also in the humanities such as history, cultural studies, sociology, psychology, social work. Reproductive health consists of several components: sexual health, family planning, maternity and paternity. Reproductive health is influenced by many factors: ecological, social, economic, hazardous and harmful production, etc. Reproductive health is a system of measures that are directly related to the emergence of healthy posterity and family planning; protection from sexually transmitted diseases; and treatment of diseases of the reproductive system to prevent infant and maternal mortality. The main factors of negative impact on reproductive health are stress, impaired sleep and nutrition, frequent and chronic diseases (including HIV and STIs), abortion, bad habits such as smoking, alcohol, drug usage, promiscuous sex, gambling and computer games, etc. Reproductive health includes the following components: safe pregnancy and childbirth, the period of childbirth and after them; fertility treatment; treatment of diseases of the reproductive sphere; safe, effective prevention of unplanned pregnancy; accessibility and choice of safe methods of contraception and health; treatment of sexually transmitted infections. A separate problem was the psychological readiness of young people to marry, create a family, give birth to children. There is a change in the prior directions of personal development. More and more young people give paramount importance to the material foundations of life, moral and ethical principles and family values are becoming less and less significant. On the one hand, this leads to a more balanced decision about childbearing, their development and upbringing, and on the other hand, it reduces the relationship with the child to the level of material support for his/her needs. Under such conditions, the problem arises of the quality of parents fulfilling the educational functions and responsibilities for development and parenthood, the need to form a conscious, responsible attitude to the parenthood in the young age. Considering this, responsible paternity, reproductive health as a component of preparing young men and women for their responsibilities for the future marriage is one of the main tasks for society. Key words: responsible parenthood, reproductive health, sexual upbringing