Hormonal Contraceptives use and Clinical Changes in Women attending a Tertiary Healthcare Facility in North-central Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Hormonal contraceptives are commonly used and advocated in reproductive health particularly in birth control and family planning. This study was designed to identify the commonly used ones and their effects on clinical parameters, like body mass index and blood pressure, of women accessing healthcare in a tertiary facility in northern Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 261 women aged 18 years and above who were accessing hormonal contraceptives at the family planning clinic were recruited using a convenience sampling technique due to resource con- straints and difficulty in accessing a larger random sample. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, changes in clinical parameters, obstetric history, and contraceptive preferences were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The majority of participants were between the ages of 31-35 years, and 41.8% had secondary education. About 50.9% were on injectables, with concerns about side effects being the primary reason for discontinuation; 28.1% discontin- ued the contraceptives on account of weight gain, and 26.3% on account of increased blood pressure. Clinical assessments revealed that 64.7% and 88.5% of the participants had body mass indices and blood pressures within the normal range. Conclusion: This study highlighted the diverse background and reproductive experiences of women accessing hormonal contraceptives in the family planning clinic of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH). Weight gain, increased body mass index, and blood pressure were found to affect compliance with contraceptive therapy. These findings can inform the development of targeted interventions to improve contraceptive uptake and compliance, which will ultimately contribute to better reproductive health outcomes.