Unintended pregnancy among antenatal women in a tertiary hospital in North Central Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Unintended pregnancy is a pregnancy that is either unwanted or mistimed. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of unintended pregnancy as well as to document the determinant factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study of 300 women attending the antenatal clinic of the Teaching Hospital. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, desirability of the current pregnancy at the time of conception, and knowledge and practice of contraceptive methods were collected using a pretested questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Chi-square test was used for tests of associations with the level of significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The average age of the respondents was 30.0 ± 4.7 years. Overall, 33.3% and 58.3% of the respondents attained secondary and tertiary levels of education, respectively. The prevalence rate of unintended pregnancy was 16%. Contraceptive awareness was quite high (259, 86.3%). However, contraceptive usage was low as 192 (61.9%) had never used any form of contraceptives. Univariate analysis using Chi-square test showed a statistically significant association between age and unwanted pregnancy (χ(2) = 68.56, P < 0.001), as well as between parity and unwanted pregnancy (χ(2) = 39.92, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of unintended pregnancy among women attending antenatal clinic is high, possibly due to low contraceptive usage. Adequate information, education, and communication materials should be provided during antenatal health talks. Advocacy visits for community sensitization should also be increased.