Contraceptive intentions of women seeking induced abortion in the city of Jos, Nigeria

This is a prospective study involving 120 women who requested abortion for an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. We sought to determine their contraceptive intentions and use. The characteristics of these women revealed that the majority were young, single schoolgirls with 68.5% of them being nulliparous. Over 90% had had their first sexual experience before the age of 20 years. Although, 113 (94%) were aware of the availability of contraceptive services only 70 (62%) of these had ever used a method and the majority of the contraceptive methods selected were ineffective. Although 97 (80.8%) had a positive intention towards post-abortion family planning, only 18 (18.5%) eventually agreed and were offered a method after the termination of pregnancy. The study revealed a high risk group of unplanned and unwanted pregnancy in Jos but low contraceptive use despite the high positive intentions expressed by this cohort of patients. Effective post-abortion contraception counselling should be incoporated into family planning in Nigeria in order that clients who express positive intentions to the use of family planning actually use the method thereby reducing the incidence of repeated induced abortions and its social and medical consequences.