Reproduction: Function, Tasks, Role & Diseases

Reproduction is part of both human and animal life and ensures the preservation of the species. Reproduction occurs when two people have a child together.

What is reproduction?

Procreation takes place when two people have a child together. Human procreation differs significantly from animal procreation in one characteristic: most animals do not feel the same pleasure in the process that humans do from the sexual act. Procreation happens when two people have a child. Even with two children, the technical language still speaks of procreation. Families with more children, on the other hand, have procreated because they were two people before and the number of their children now exceeds that number. After the death of the parents, there will be more people in the world than before. Reproduction begins with the sexual act of the parents and ends with the birth of the child. As in the animal kingdom, it serves to preserve humanity and is part of life for most people. Decisive for procreation are the pleasure of sex as well as the desire to have children, which most women and men have. The process of reproduction in humans is similar to that in other mammals: The egg and sperm come together, combine the DNA of the two parents, and after 9 months of pregnancy, the woman gives birth.

Function and task

Reproduction ensures the preservation of the species, but in humans it is somewhat different from reproduction in the animal kingdom. Most people feel a desire to have children, which becomes so strong after a certain age that they focus intensively on having children. In addition, the sexual act gives humans pleasure, which is rare even among mammals. Although some mammals know the sexual climax, they do not feel the same pleasure as humans do during reproduction. It can be assumed that the desire for children and the pleasure of sexual intercourse ensure reproduction in humans. With the reproduction even health-promoting aspects are connected. This begins with the mental well-being of the human being. Since most adults have a desire for children that arises from deep-rooted needs, unwanted childlessness can become a severe psychological burden. Procreation and the fulfillment of the desire to have children can also become a trial for the parents, however, it also represents a fulfillment. In addition, research and studies regularly show that events in life associated with procreation are said to be beneficial for various health aspects. For example, frequent sexual intercourse has a mitigating effect on the risk of prostate cancer in men. Women who have given birth also lower various cancer risks.

Diseases and medical conditions

Reproduction is not an entirely uncomplicated physical function. A wide variety of problems can occur within its framework. Occasionally, reproduction does not succeed on its own, whether it is due to congenital or acquired infertility or physical as well as psychological problems that stand in the way of reproduction. With modern medicine, it is precisely these reproductive problems that are readily treatable, whether by hormone therapy or by artificial insemination when no other procedure will help. In the case of congenital malfunctions or deformations, as well as diseases of the internal reproductive organs, surgical procedures can also be considered, which can enable reproduction despite what is actually congenital infertility. Once the fertilization and implantation of an egg has been successful, it is necessary to survive a 9-month pregnancy until reproduction is complete. Especially in the first weeks and in the critical first 3 months of pregnancy, it can happen that the woman suffers an abortion. This happens either due to external circumstances, diseases or more rarely due to faulty combination of DNA of both parents. Sometimes the woman’s body recognizes early when a malformed child may be born and terminates the pregnancy on its own. Reproductive errors at fertilization are a comparatively common problem in reproduction. The embryo is not always rejected, because otherwise there would be no children with Down syndrome, for example.Such congenital diseases arise during the production of eggs and sperm, as well as during fertilization, when DNA is not properly divided and reassembled at these crucial moments. Missing or overly abundant building blocks cause serious problems – if a viable child does result, it will be born with congenital limitations and health problems. Reproduction poses a certain risk in every living being. Reproductive errors, the birth itself and the development of the unborn child in the mother’s womb are not easy tasks for the human body. Nevertheless, humans are comparatively advanced in terms of reproduction. Nowadays, human reproduction can be optimally supported by modern medicine, be it in the case of problems getting pregnant or in accompanying pregnant women even under difficult circumstances. Modern medical treatments and new options allow reproduction even when it would be difficult or impossible without this external support.