Fertility Awareness-Based Contraception

Abstract

Received 28th April 2020 Accepted 17th June 2020 Published 21st July, 2020

How to cite this article:

Ezeome V I, Umeh A U Fertility Awareness-Based Contraception:

Knowledge and Attitudes Among Nigerian Gynaecologists. NDJMS 2020; 2(4):28-38

Background

The under use of effective contraceptive methods among women at risk for unintended pregnancy is

a major factor contributing to its high rate in Nigeria. Fertility Awareness-Based contraception are

preferable alternatives for family planning by some due to its lack of side effects, and for religious and

cultural reasons. They can play an important role in reducing unintended pregnancy rate in

Nigeria. Despite its inclusion in the national family planning guidelines, there is limited awareness

of the modern effective methods among clients. Since gynecologists play a pivotal role in information

dissemination and provision of family planning methods, we sought to assess their knowledge and

attitude to fertility awareness-based methods.

Methods

A structured questionnaire was administered to Nigerian gynaecologists after an oral informed

consent. Data analysis was with descriptive statistics using SPSS v. 20.

Results

The age range of the respondents was 31-68 years, with a mean of 44.2 +/- 9.2 SD. The female

respondents and those aged less than 50 years were 16 (14.5%) and 76 (69.1%) respectively.

Billings Ovulation (78, 70.9%) and Calendar Rhythm (72, 65.5%) were the commonest methods

provided by the respondents. However, 78 (70.9%) of them believed that they were less effective than

conventional contraceptives because their efficacy depends on cooperation of a partner (84, 76.4%)

and on following the rules of the method (94, 85.5%).

Conclusion

The commonest fertility awareness-based contraception provided by Nigerian gynaecologists are

the Billings Ovulation and Calendar Rhythm though they do not believe in their efficacy, because of

their dependence on partners' cooperation.

KEYWORDS: Fertility Awareness-Based Contraception; Mucus-focused Methods; Basal

Body Temperature; Calendar Based Method; Gynaecologists; Nigeria.