The promotion of optimal reproductive health helps to improve the health of individuals that may one day become parents. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout the reproductive years helps to reduce risk factors that can ultimately lead to things like infant death, premature birth, low birth weight, and some birth defects. Over sixty percent of pregnancies in Canada are “unplanned”. In the time before a pregnancy is realized, a fetus can be subjected to a number of risk factors.

Why should we promote reproductive health in high schools?

All youth are potential parents. By promoting reproductive health messages early and often, students can have improved health through their life span and this can help to set them up for positive experiences as they become parents. This also helps to decrease health care costs for society.