Pattern of Contraceptive Use at 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba, Lagos Nigeria: A Review

Abstract

Background: A significant proportion of the world’s population is under 25 years. Paradoxically most of these people reside in countries with low gross domestic product where most women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Interestingly, the unmet need for contraception is also high in these low-income countries. Nigeria for instance has a high fertility rate with low contraceptive prevalence rate and high unmet need for contraception. Objective: This study therefore aims to determine the pattern of contraceptive usage in a tertiary military facility in Lagos, Nigeria. Study Design and Setting: It was a seven-year retrospective review at 68 Nigerian Army Reference hospital, Yaba, Lagos from 1st January 2017 to December 31st 2023. Materials and Methods: Clients case records at the family planning clinic within the study period was retrieved. Those with complete data such as age, parity, marital status, mrthod of contraception, were included in the data analysis. Results: A total of 4476 women attended the Family Planning Clinic of 68 NARHY during the study period. The mean age of the participants was 32±2, while more than half completed tertiary education 52.73%. Most women prefered subdermal implant with utilization rate of 53.5%, while the least preferred method was bilateral tubal ligation 0.02% followed by intra uterine system with utilization rate of 0.1%. Conclusion: Subdermal implant is the contraceptive of choice in our study followed by intrauterine contraceptive devices. It also shows overall, that the demand for different methods of contraception is increasing.