Reproductive Hazards

What are reproductive hazards?

Reproductive hazards are substances that affect the reproductive health of men or women. They also include substances that affect the ability of couples to have healthy children. These substances may be chemical, physical, or biological. Some common types include:

• Alcohol
• Chemicals such as pesticides
• Smoking
• Legal and illegal drugs
• Metals such as lead and mercury
• Radiation
• Some viruses

You may be exposed to reproductive hazards through contact with your skin, breathing them in, or swallowing them. This can happen anywhere, but it is more common in the workplace or at home.

The possible health effects of reproductive hazards include infertility, miscarriage, birth defects, and developmental disabilities in children. What type of health effects they cause and how serious they are depends on many factors, including:

• What the substance is
• How much of it you are exposed to
• How it enters your body
• How long or how often you are exposed
• How you react to the substance

For a man, a reproductive hazard can affect the sperm. A hazard may cause a problem with the number of sperm, their shape, or the way that they swim. It could also damage the sperm's DNA. Then the sperm may not be able to fertilize an egg. Or it could cause problems with the development of the fetus.

For a woman, a reproductive hazard can disrupt the menstrual cycle. It can cause hormone imbalance, which can raise the risk of diseases such as osteoporosis, heart disease, and certain cancers. It can affect a woman's ability to get pregnant.

A woman who is exposed during pregnancy can have different effects, depending on when she was exposed. During the first 3 months of pregnancy, it might cause a birth defect or a miscarriage. During the last 6 months of pregnancy, it could slow the growth of the fetus, affect the development of its brain, or cause preterm labor.

To try to avoid reproductive hazards:

• Avoid alcohol and illegal drugs during pregnancy.
• If you smoke, try to quit. And if you are not a smoker, don't start.
• Take precautions if you are using household chemicals or pesticides.
• Use good hygiene, including handwashing.
• If there are hazards at your job, make sure to follow safe work practices and procedures.

Safe Opioid Use

What are opioids?

Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, are a type of drug. They include strong prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and tramadol. The illegal drug heroin is also an opioid.

A health care provider may give you a prescription opioid to reduce pain after you have had a major injury or surgery. You may get them if you have severe pain from health conditions like cancer. Some providers prescribe them for chronic pain.

Prescription opioids used for pain relief are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by your provider. However, people who take opioids are at risk for opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose. These risks increase when opioids are misused. Misuse can include taking more than your prescribed dose or taking it more often, using it to get high, or taking someone else's opioids.

First, you need to talk with your provider about whether you need to take opioids. You should discuss:

• Whether there are other medicines or therapies that might treat your pain
• The risks and benefits of taking opioids
• Your medical history and if you or anyone in your family has a history of substance misuse, a drug addiction, or alcohol use disorder (AUD)
• Any other medicines and supplements you are taking
• How much alcohol you drink
• If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant

If you and your provider decide that you need to take opioids, make sure that you understand:

• How to take the medicine - how much and how often.
• How long you will need to take the medicine.
• What the possible side effects are.
• How you should stop the medicines when you no longer need them. If you have been taking opioids for a while, it can be dangerous to just stop suddenly. You may need to get off the medicines slowly.
• What the warning signs of addiction are, so you can watch for them. They include:
• Regularly taking more medicine than you are supposed to
• Taking someone else's opioids
• Taking the medicine to get high
• Mood swings, depression, and/or anxiety
• Needing too much or too little sleep
• Trouble making decisions
• Feeling high or sedated

If you have a high risk for an overdose, you will want to get naloxone from a pharmacy and carry it with with you wherever you go. Naloxone is a medicine that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

You should always be careful when taking any medicine, but you need to take extra care when taking opioids:

• Take your medicine exactly as prescribed - do not take extra doses.
• Check the instructions every time you take a dose.
• Do not break, chew, crush, or dissolve opioid pills.
• Opioids can cause drowsiness. Do not drive or use any machinery that may injure you, especially when you first start the medicine.
• Contact your provider if you have side effects.
• If you can, use the same pharmacy for all your medicines. The pharmacy's computer system will alert the pharmacist if you are taking two or more medicines that could cause a dangerous interaction.

It is important to store and dispose of opioid medicines properly:

• Store your opioids and other medicines in a safe place. If you have children at home, it's a good idea to store your medicines in a lockbox. Even one accidental dose of an opioid pain medicine meant for an adult can cause a fatal overdose in a child. Also, someone who lives with you or visits your house may look for and steal your opioid medicines to take or sell them.
• If you travel, carry the current bottle of opioids with you for safety. This will help you answer any questions about your medicine.
• Dispose of your unused medicine properly. If you have unused opioid medicines at the end of your treatment, you can get rid of them by:
• Finding a local drug take-back program
• Finding a pharmacy mail-back program
• In some cases, flushing them down the toilet - check the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) web site to find out which ones you can flush away
• Never sell or share your medicines. Your prescription is for you. Your health care provider considers many factors when prescribing opioids. What's safe for you might lead to an overdose for someone else.
• If someone steals your opioid medicines or prescription, report the theft to the police.

Salivary Gland Disorders

Your salivary glands are in your mouth. You have three pairs of major salivary glands and hundreds of small (minor) glands. They make saliva (spit) and empty it into your mouth through openings called ducts. Saliva makes your food moist, which helps you chew and swallow. It helps you digest your food. It also cleans your mouth and contains antibodies that can kill germs.

Problems with salivary glands can cause them to become irritated and swollen. You may have symptoms such as:

• A bad taste in your mouth
• Difficulty opening your mouth
• Dry mouth
• Pain in your face or mouth
• Swelling of your face or neck

Causes of salivary gland problems include infections, obstruction, or cancer. Problems can also be due to other disorders, such as mumps or Sjogren's syndrome.

Sepsis

What is sepsis?

Sepsis is your body's overactive and extreme response to an infection. Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency. Without quick treatment, it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and even death.

Sepsis happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. Bacterial infections are the most common cause, but other types of infections can also cause it.

The infections are often in the lungs, stomach, kidneys, or bladder. It's possible for sepsis to begin with a small cut that gets infected or with an infection that develops after surgery. Sometimes, sepsis can occur in people who didn't even know that they had an infection.

Anyone with an infection could get sepsis. But certain people are more likely to develop it:

• Adults 65 or older
• People with chronic (long-lasting) conditions, such as diabetes, lung disease, cancer, and kidney disease
• People with weakened immune systems
• Pregnant women
• Children younger than one

Sepsis can cause one or more of these symptoms:

• Rapid breathing and heart rate
• Shortness of breath
• Confusion or disorientation
• Extreme pain or discomfort
• Fever, shivering, or feeling very cold
• Clammy or sweaty skin

It's important to get medical care right away if you think you might have sepsis or if your infection is not getting better or is getting worse.

Severe cases of sepsis can lead to septic shock, where your blood pressure drops to a dangerous level and multiple organs can fail.

To find out if you have sepsis, your health care provider:

• Will take your medical history, which includes asking about your symptoms
• Will do a physical exam, which includes checking vital signs (your temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing)
• Will likely order lab tests that check for signs of infection or organ damage
• May order imaging tests such as an x-ray or a CT scan to find the location of the infection

Many of the signs and symptoms of sepsis can also be caused by other medical conditions. This may make sepsis hard to diagnose in its early stages.

It is very important to get treatment right away. Treatment usually includes:

• Antibiotics.
• Maintaining blood flow to organs. This may involve getting oxygen and intravenous (IV) fluids.
• Treating the source of the infection.
• If needed, medicines to increase blood pressure.

In serious cases, you might need kidney dialysis or a breathing tube. Some people need surgery to remove tissue damaged by the infection.

To prevent sepsis, you should try to prevent getting an infection:

• Take good care of any chronic health conditions that you have
• Get recommended vaccines
• Practice good hygiene, such as handwashing
• Keep cuts clean and covered until healed

NIH: National Institute of General Medical SciencesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention

Sexual Health

Sexuality is a big part of being human. Love, affection and sexual intimacy all play a role in healthy relationships. They also contribute to your sense of well-being. A number of disorders can affect the ability to have or enjoy sex in both men and women.

Factors that can affect sexual health include:

• Fear of unplanned pregnancy
• Concerns about infertility
• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Chronic diseases such as cancer or heart disease
• Medicines that affect sexual desire or performance