Rate of Voluntary Termination of Unwanted Pregnancy among Undergraduate Students in a Tertiary Institution in North Central, Nigeria

Termination of unwanted pregnancies especially if unsafely procured contributes significantly to maternal deaths. This study was designed to determine the rate of voluntary termination of unwanted pregnancies among undergraduate students. It was a cross-sectional study of female university undergraduates. A self administered pre-tested questionnaire was used to elicit information on socio-demographic variables, sexual activities, unwanted pregnancies and voluntary termination. SPSS software version 25.0 was used for analysis. Frequency tables were generated and Chi square was used as a test of statistics. Four hundred and thirty one respondents were studied out of which 304(70.5%) of them have been sexually exposed. The modal age of initiation of sexual intercourse was 20 years. Most 177(58.2%) has had one sexual partner while 127(41.8%) had multiple sexual partners. The major motivation for sexual activity was found to be pleasure 60.5%, financial reasons 18.1%, peer pressure 9.2 %, and 12.2% gave no reason. At least one-third 119(39.1%) has had an unwanted pregnant in the past and 63(52.9%) were induced. Among the induced abortions most 32(50.8%) had termination done more than once while 31(49.2%) had it done once. As high as 96.1% were aware of contraceptives and 69.6% had ever used a method in the past .There was statistically significant relationship between unwanted pregnancy and contraceptive usage (p=0.001).The rate of voluntary termination of unwanted pregnancies (52.9%) was high with associated low contraceptive usage. Unrestricted reproductive health information and care should be made accessible and available to these young people.