Uptake of Hormonal Implants Contraceptive in Zaria, Northern Nigeria

Objective: To document our experience on the use of Jadelle/Implanon contraceptives that was recently introduced into Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Nigeria. It is pertinent to generate data on the experiences in the use of this contraceptive in a cross sectional study within Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Method: Data on consecutive clients that accepted Jadelle/ Implanon from June 2009 to November 2013 at ABUTH were extracted from their cards and analyzed using SPSS version 17. Out of a total of 11,502 clients that were for contraception during the period under review, 798 accepted Jadelle/Implanon accounting for 7% of the total clients. All the clients were married. About 67.8% were Muslims while 27.2% were Christians and 5% belong to other sect. 4140 (36%) had tertiary education. Most of the client has been on one form of modern contraception; only 16% were first time users who accepted implant after counselling. 37% of the clients are full time housewives. The discontinuation rate was found to be 26% for Jadelle and 19% for Implanon. No pregnancy was recorded during this period. Conclusion: Jadelle/Implanon account for 7% of contractive uptake and a high discontinuation rate was found among the users.