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Choice of contraception after previous operative delivery at a family planning clinic in Northern Nigeria


Amina Mohammed‑Durosinlorun
Joel Adze
Stephen Bature
Caleb Mohammed
Matthew Taingson
Amina Abubakar
Austin Ojabo
Lydia Airede

Abstract

Context: Effective contraceptive use is important after a caesarean or operative delivery because of the possible risks a woman may face in subsequent pregnancies.

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to determine the uptake and choices of contraception among women with previous operative delivery.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital from 1st January, 2000 to 31st March, 2014. Family planning cards were retrieved, and relevant information was collected and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 15. Chi‑square test was used as a test of association, with significance level established at a P value of < 0.05.

Results: Of the 5992 cards retrieved, 164 (2.7%) had previous operative delivery; 152 caesarean sections and 12 laparotomies for ruptured uterus. Only 17.7% initiated contraception within 6 months. More women were spacers (86.6%) rather than limiters (13.4%). Age, education, religion, parity, prior contraception, and interval from the last delivery were significantly associated with the current choice of contraception (P < 0.05), whereas breast feeding status was not (P > 0.05). Overall, when comparing the pattern among those with a previous operative delivery and those without, there was no significant difference between both the groups; injectables was the most popular method chosen followed by intrauterine devices, oral contraceptive pills, and implants.

Conclusion: Most women with a previous operative delivery were at risk of unwanted pregnancies because they did not initiate contraception within 6 months of their last delivery. Their preferred forms of contraception were injectables and intrauterine devices, which was not significantly different from the methods chosen by other women.

Keywords: Contraception; family planning; northern Nigeria; previous caesarean; previous operative delivery


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eISSN: 0189-5117