A Five Year Review of the Complications of Progestogen only Injectable Contraceptive at the University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital

Abstract

The injectable progestogen only contraceptive is a widely accepted method of contraception in our environment and very Iittle has been reported on its complications in our environment. The aim of the study was to highlight the complications associated with use of injectable Medroxyprogesterone Acetate and Norethisterone Enanthate in dients at the University of Part-Harcourt Teachng Hospital, Port-Harcou, south-south Nigeria. It was a 5 rear year retrospective study of the clients who accepted and used progestogen only injectable contraceptives (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate noerthistherone enantate) at the family planning units of the University of Port Horcowt Teaching Hospital between 1st January 2000 and 31st December 2004. The case flies of these clients were retrieved and their data extracted. The informolion included the dients sociodemographic characteristics, the types doses of of injectable contraceptives received and the side effects reported at the follow up visits. The data was coded and entered into a data bank and analysed using SPSS for windows 11.0 version. Seven hundred and seventy seven (777) injectable contraceptive acceptors out of the 1720 contraceptive acceptors during the study period. This accounted for 45.17% of the new acceptors over the 5 years period, making the injectable contraceptives the most commonly used method of birth control in UPTH. Five hundred and five (505) clients took depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) while 272 used norethesterone enanthate (NE-ET). The mean age of the injectable contraceptive users was 31.31 +/- 5.5 years and the mean parity was 5.5 +/- 2.5 deliveries. The users reported multiple side effects with 579 episodes. Secondary amenorrhea was the commonest side effect occurring in 350 (45.34%) clients. Others were hypertension in 17 (2.94%) and metabolic disturbances in 14 (2.41%). Injectable progestogen only contraceptive is associated with multiple side effects, with secondary amenorrhoea being the most common. The contraceptive failure rate of this method in our women is low. Injectable progestogen only contraceptive is associated with multiple side effects, with secondary amenorrhoea being the most common. The contraceptive failure rate of this method women is low.