Uptake of Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives at a Tertiary Hospital in South-South Nigeria: A 3-Year Review.

Background: Long acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) uptake have not been found to be impressive over the years, despite been a necessary tool in preventing maternal morbidity and mortality. Aim: The study aimed at determining the uptake of LARC at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa (FMCY), sociodemographics, previous contraceptive method used, current choice of LARC, source of information and associations between selected client characteristics and the choice of LARC. Methodology: This was a descriptive retrospective study of clients who visited the family planning unit of the FMCY, from 1st January, 2018 to 1st January, 2021. A list of clients was obtained from the family planning unit register and case notes were retrieved. For this study, 181 case notes were gotten and data were collected using a proforma. P-value < 0.05 was significant. Results: A total of 1,281 clients accepted the available family planning methods during the study period. About 14.1% accepted LARC. Majority (32.6%) of the clients were 30 - 34 years of age. Implanon and Jadelle were the commonly used methods (36.6%). Health personnel formed the highest source of LARC information. The reason for the choice of LARC for more than half of the clients was for child spacing (56.9%). There were no significant association between level of education, parity and the choice of contraceptive methods. Conclusion: The uptake of LARC at the FMCY is low. Injectable contraceptives constituted majority of LARC uptake. Adolescents, the less educated and low parity clients rarely access the family planning clinic.