1.
List
the environmental factors that may have an influence on prenatal development. Discuss the effects of environmental
hazards on the child. (8 Points)
Per the text,
common environmental factors include, the mother’s diet, diseases, drugs taken
by either partner, hormones, narcotics, and vitamins taken. (Rathus, S. A., Nevid,
J. S. & Fitchner-Rathus, L. 2018. pages 283-288) Various substances that
could affect the mother affect’s the growing fetus. As we learn more and more
about various substances and their effects on pregnant women, new things are
found to be toxic to optimal fetal development.
In the 1960s, it was common to see women smoking and having a drink during
pregnancy. These days, we know that
smoking leads to low birth weight, and possibly SIDS, and that drinking leads
to fetal alcohol syndrome. We are still
learning things about pregnancy and what will lead to the healthiest birth
possible, but we are closer now than we were when doctors handed out
Thalidomide for morning sickness, though I personally wonder if this same thing
will happen with Zofran.
2.
Compare
two advantages and two disadvantages of combination oral contraceptives and
progesterone-only oral contraceptives. (6 points)
One advantage
to the pill is that you don’t have to interrupt sex for it to work. It works by tricking the body into thinking
its already pregnant so that no eggs are released, or if one manages to
release, the cervical mucus is thicker, so it provides a natural barrier. Another advantage is that, when used
typically, it only has a 9% failure rate.
(Rathus et. al. 2018. pp. 310-313) One glaring disadvantage is that it’s
hormonal so some women will have side effects. While most side effects will
dissipate with time, the birth control pill can aggravate migraines, cause
feelings of nausea, weight gain, breast tenderness and more. Sometimes these
side effects are severe enough that a change may be warranted. Another is that
the pill doesn’t protect against STIs.
Even within the various types, there are advantages and
disadvantages. One is that the mini pill
has to be taken at the exact same time every day to be effective, while the combination
pill has a little more leeway and needs to be taken within a 2-hour window.
3.
Discuss
cohabitation. What are some of the reasons couples may decide to cohabitate.
Include in a separate paragraph the relationship between cohabitation and
marriage? What does the current law say about cohabitating couples in Arizona? How
might cohabitation impact an individual’s chances of getting married and of
divorcing? (10 Points)
Cohabitation is
“living together as though married but without the legal sanction.” (p. 362)
There are many reasons couples choose to live together without being
married. Some want to “test run”
marriage, some may want to share living expenses without losing public
benefits, still others want to share a life without retaliation from adult
children or parents. Up until May 2001, cohabitation was illegal in the state
of Arizona. Though considered a rarely
enforced law in the state (much as with adultery and fornication), it was still
on the books as a misdemeanor dating back to the 19th century.
(Fields, R. 2001. Retrieved from URL: http://articles.latimes.com/2001/aug/20/news/mn-36308)
The text states that the longer a couple lives together, the more likely they
are to get married. Table 11.6 shows
that after three years of cohabitation, a couple is twice as likely to marry as
their cohabitation counterparts are at year one. (Rathus, et. al., 2018. p.
364). However, it is later stated that
couples who cohabitate for a long period of time are more likely to divorce
than couples who did not cohabitate.
4.
Given
what you have learned about orgasmic disorders, draw conclusions as to why
orgasmic disorder is so much more prevalent in women than in men. (6 Points)
Orgasm is such
a complex topic that I’m not surprised when the text says that women have a
harder time achieving orgasm than men do. (2018. pp. 386-390) Women deal with
their brain being the number one source of stimulation, so their libido is
easier to sway. One wrong word could
completely turn off a woman’s libido.
While men can (and do) experience this, it is much more rare in men than
women and on a much smaller scale. Women
also suffer with the idea that vaginal intercourse should lead to orgasm, when
the truth is that very few women achieve orgasm through penetration alone. When
this doesn’t happen, women are left wanting.
We also can have problems with lubrication or desire as a result of
hormonal changes or the birth control pill.
With women, there are so many variables that the American Psychiatric
Association has recently merged the two disorders into one concise diagnosis of
“female sexual interest/arousal disorder.” (2018. p. 387) Men normally only
experience problems related to achieving an erection (for which the drugs
Viagra and Cialis were marketed), and premature ejaculation, both of which are
easier problems to solve than the female libido and sexual response. Women can experience lack of desire or lack
of sexual response for any number of reasons ranging from physical to
mental. Men usually don’t have a problem
with mentally being in the mood, but rather their body not responding (or
responding too quickly).
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Grade: 30/30
Professor Comments: None
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