BackgroundIn Nigeria, the fertility rate is high and the contraceptive prevalence rate is very low.1 Therefore, women in Nigeria are exposed to the dangers of unwanted and unplanned pregnancies. In Ebonyi State, Nigeria, the demand for family planning is about 15%, while the unmet need for contraceptives among women who are currently married is 30%.2 Contraceptive use for spacing the births of children is 13.1%, while contraceptive use for limiting the number of children in a family accounts for 7.5%. 2 The rate of demand for contraceptives varies among women; those with no education comprised the lowest rate (16%) compared with those who had a primary (35%) or secondary school (34%) education.2 The total fertility rate (TFR) in the state is 5.3%. 2The tendency to use a contraceptive method depends upon the individual's attitude as well as his/her preference of particular methods. Knowing individuals' perceptions and preferences can help control and predict clients' behavior, and as is well-known, predicting and controlling behavior will help community health practitioners determine the myths and misconceptions among women regarding the different contraceptive methods. It will also help the development of a package of intervention that can be applied to increase uptake. Furthermore, it is important Abstract Background: The fertility rate is high and the contraceptive prevalence rate is very low in Nigeria. Thus, women in Nigeria are exposed to the dangers of unwanted and unplanned pregnancies. Objective: The current study aimed to determine the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and contraceptive preferences among couples in selected health facilities in Ebonyi State so as to recommend a package of intervention to increase contraception uptake. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study used questionnaires administered by the researchers themselves among 128 postpartum women who were current users of contraceptive methods in Izzi, Ezza South, and Ikwo local government areas of Ebonyi State, Nigeria from January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. Informed consent was obtained from participants. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Simple percentages were used to report categorical variables. Results:The study results showed that most of the respondents (49%) had a secondary education, were aged above 20 years, and were mainly employed as civil servants with an average monthly income of $47.20. About 69% had less than 5 living children.Most respondents knew about contraception as a means of delaying pregnancy or limiting the number of children (37%) and recommended its use for family/society (46%). The most commonly used contraceptive methods were implants and injectable ones, while the IUD was the least preferred. Both implants and injectable contraceptives were recommended by friends and believed to be highly effective. Conclusion:The current study showed that knowledge and positive attitude of participants towards family planning was high, comparable to studies in other parts of the world. Further res...

HighlightsDouble uterus, although a rare condition, can be an important cause of recurrent miscarriages.An ultrasound examination during pregnancy may help diagnose double uterus in women without a prior pelvic examination.Double uterus can be a cause of recurrent miscarriages or preterm birth and its rare occurrence underscores the importance of thorough gynecological examination including using pelvic ultrasound in women of reproductive age.

Introduction: Breastfeeding is essential for optimum childhood development. Although there is an increased awareness of the importance of breast milk, the Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey of 2018 showed that less than one-third (29%) of mothers in Nigeria practice exclusive breastfeeding. This may be attributed to several factors, hence the need for this study to assess the indicators and predictors of breastfeeding practices among mothers in a tertiary facility in Calabar, Cross River State. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria. Consenting mothers of children aged six weeks to two years were sequentially recruited into the study using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A test of association of categorical variables was done using Chi square test and pvalue was set at 0.05. Results: One hundred and twenty one children and their mothers were surveyed. Mean age of children was 6.2±3.8months and mothers was 28±25years. Exclusive breastfeeding rate for six months was 67.8%.Timely breastfeeding within one hour of life was 44.6%,ever breastfed rate was 86%. Practice of giving water alongside breast milk and use of breast milk substitute was 18.2% and 14.0% respectively. Mothers age was significantly associated with practice of exclusive breastfeeding (p=0.014) and giving water alongside breast milk (p=0.005) while birth order was associated with timely commencement of breastfeeding within one hour of life (p=0.022). Conclusion: The ever breastfed and exclusive breastfeeding rates were fairly high. However, the timely first suckling rate, increased use of breast milk substitute and giving of water alongside breast milk in the first six months of life were low. There is the need for continuous health education of mothers.

Context:Disclosure of HIV-positive status to sex partners is viewed as a preventive measure and as a social and legal responsibility for HIV-infected individuals.Aims:The aim of this study is to determine the proportions and factors responsible for disclosure of HIV seropositivity among residents of Cross River State, Nigeria.Settings and Design:This was a cross-sectional comparative study.Subjects and Methods:It involved 320 HIV-positive individuals equally selected from the urban and rural settings of Cross River State and use questionnaires.Statistical Analysis Used:Data analysis used SPSS version 20.0. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to identify determinants of HIV status disclosure.Results:Among urban respondents, 93.8% had disclosed compared with 79.4% among rural respondents, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant association between HIV status disclosure and age (P = 0.008), marital status (P = 0.027), number of nonspousal sexual partner (P = 0.006), and area of residence (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant association between HIV status disclosure and gender (P = 0.622), between occupation (P = 0.495) or income (P = 0.351 and head of household (P = 0.241). There was statistically significant association between HIV status disclosure and level of education (P = 0.015), house ownership (P = 0.008), time from diagnosis (P = 0.003), and duration of treatment (P = 0.002).Conclusions:This study has shown that HIV seropositive status disclosure was higher when compared with other local studies, and age, marital status, and area of residence were factors associated with HIV seropositive status disclosure.

HIV/AIDS remains a global public health problem. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome" has become one of the world's most serious health and development challenges. A critical element of reducing HIV transmission risk is disclosure of HIV sero status by HIV positive individuals. Disclosure is recommended during post-test counseling since it supports risk reduction behaviours and facilitates access to prevention, care and treatment services for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), their partner(s) or infant(s). 6 This study aimed to determine preferred audience of HIV status disclosure among HIV positive individuals, compare preferred audience of HIV status disclosure among HIV positive individuals and to assess and compare reasons for HIV status disclosure to preferred audience among HIV positive individuals in urban and rural areas of Cross River State. Material and Method: The study was cross-sectional descriptive among 160 HIV positive individuals each from urban and rural areas of Cross River State selected by multi-stage sampling technique. A pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic, HIV status disclosure and audience of disclosure. Results: The highest number of married/cohabiting respondents reported they disclosed to their spouse (31.1%. This was higher in the urban compared with rural (36.2% versus 25.0%). This was followed by disclosure to biological relative also higher in urban than rural (31.3% versus 23.6%). More respondents reported disclosure to their mother in rural than urban (12.5% versus 7.7%). Audience of disclosure to whom the least number of respondents disclosed their HIV status to in both study area was work colleague (2.0%) by urban and (0.5%) by rural respondents. Reasons for HIV status disclosure in the urban area were to get encouragement, advice or to encourage others, to help their spouse/sex partner go for test. Among the rural respondents, the highest reason reported was to enable them take their HAART freely.