Domestic violence against women continues to be a serious public health issue and its occurrence during pregnancy may lead to adverse outcomes for both the mother and fetus. Research has shown that it occurs in every society, but with varying prevalence [1,2]. In Nigeria, the prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy varies across different regions and the highest figure has been reported for Lagos [3]. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy as reported by women attending a university teaching hospital in Nigeria to book for antenatal care, and to assess the types of and risk factors for domestic violence.We conducted a survey of 234 pregnant women who booked for antenatal care at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria, over a 6-month period between January 1 and June 30, 2009, using pretested, researcher-administered, confidential questionnaires. The questionnaires, comprising 30 questions, were administered by the authors in the antenatal clinic in a private setting to ensure privacy and confidentiality. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the hospital. The questionnaire had been pretested with 50 antenatal patients-who were not included in the analysis-for clarity, assessment of length of time for administration, comprehension, and other attributes.The sample size was calculated based on the average prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy determined from studies in different regions of the country [3,4]. Information was obtained about the participants' sociodemographic characteristics and questions were asked to assess their awareness, experience, and attitude toward domestic violence, as well as the presence of possible risk factors for domestic violence in pregnancy. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 15 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). The χ 2 test was used for statistical analysis and P b 0.05 was considered significant.The mean age of the 234 respondents was 29 ± 4.7 years (range, 19-46 years) and mean parity was 1.4 ± 1.5 (range, 0-7). Of the women questioned, 197 (84.2%) were aware that women may experience domestic violence during pregnancy. Of 234 respondents, 30 women (12.8%) reported that they had experienced domestic violence during pregnancy; 24 women (10.3%) had experienced one form of domestic violence during the index pregnancy. Of the 30 women who reported experiencing domestic violence during pregnancy, 15 (50%) reported a similar experience when they were not pregnant, giving a prevalence rate of 6.4% for domestic violence outside pregnancy. Family members were responsible for all instances of violence, with a woman's husband accounting for 73.3%. The most common form of violence reported was verbal insult (46.7%), followed by beating (40.0%), denial of freedom (23.3%), and financial deprivation (30%). Slapping, flogging, and forced sexual intercourse each accounted for 3.3% of the violence reported.No provoking factor for the violence was reported by 4 women (13.3%). Four women (13.3%)...