MODERN CONTRACEPTIVES UTILIZATION AND BARRIERS AMONG WOMEN WITH OBSTETRIC FISTULA IN NORTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Nasir S.*, Hassan M., Panti A. A. and Elladan A. M.

ABSTRACT

Background: An effective approach to avoiding obstetric fistula must address the needs both for prevention and for treatment, especially where accesses to good obstetric care services are Limited. Family planning plays a key role in the prevention of obstetric fistula. Many women living in rural areas, where fistula is most common, have little or no access to family planning information and services. Objectives: This study aim to determine the modern contraceptive utilization and barriers among women with obstetric fistula. Methodology: This was a cross- sectional and descriptive study involving 173 women attending the fistula clinic of the National Obstetric Fistula Centre, Babbar Ruga, Katsina between 1st Febuary and 30th June, 2016. Data was collected using a pretested structured interviewer administered questionnaire after obtaining an informed consent. SPSS version 22 statistical package was used for data entry and analysis. Results: The mean age of the women was 26.6±9.25 years and the mean parity was 3.76±3.2. The mean parity at fistula development was 3.5±3.10. Majority 76.3% of the women were married and 92.5% had no formal education. Some 11.6% of the women were beggars’. Awareness of modern family planning methods was poor as only 27.7% were aware. The main 58.5% source of information was by healthcare Providers. Oral contraceptive Pills 31 (64.6%) and injectables 28 (58.3%) were the commonly known methods. Limiting family size 23 (48.9%) and spacing of births 11 (22.9%) were identified as the main benefits of family planning and only 3 (6.3%) identified family planning as being important in the prevention of obstetric fistula. Only 4 of the 48 women that were aware of modern family planning used family planning method before and none were current users. Husband Opposition 33.3% and desire for more Children were identified as the major barrier to utilization. Conclusion: The study showed that modern contraceptive knowledge is poor among women with obstetric fistula and if obstetric fistula is to be prevented educational campaigns should target women in the rural areas that are at risk of developing obstetric fistula.

Keywords: Obstetric fistula, Modern contraception, Awareness, Barriers.