Magnitude and Risk Factors for Induced Abortions Among Female Undergraduates: Case Report

Abstract

Context: An Abortion is described as pregnancy termination before 20 weeks gestation or with a fetus weighing less than 500g. Induced abortion is illegal in Nigeria except when performed to save a woman’s life. However, pregnancy terminations are quite common, and because they are often performed clandestinely or by unskilled providers, most are unsafe. Aims: To address the clear knowledge gap on the prevalence and associated factors of induced abortion among University female students, which enable reduction of risk factors that contribute to unwanted pregnancy. Settings and Design: The University of Ibadan is a tertiary institution in Ibadan, Oyo state. The University of Ibadan (UI) is the oldest Nigerian university. There are 10 faculties. The University has 3 female halls of residence. Methods and Material: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study instrument was a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire that was developed by the researcher. Statistical analysis used: The raw data from the field was screened for inconsistencies. Analysis of data was by computer using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results: This study revealed a prevalence of 17.3% for female students who had a history of induced abortion. We found that 60.9% of the female students sampled were sexually active however, only 33.5% were current users of contraceptives. Conclusions: We found there was adequate knowledge of abortions and their complications, however, the sexually active students didn’t utilize contraceptive methods with a significant percentage resulting in unintended pregnancies for which they had abortions. Key Messages: The findings from this study show that the abortions laws in Nigeria need to be reviewed in order to stem the possible consequences of unsafe abortions.