WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE

This study was conducted to find out the influence of knowledge on family planning Practices among women of child bearing age in Ovia North L.G.A, Edo State. To therefore achieve the purpose of the study, five (5) research questions guided the study
A descriptive survey design was used for the study. The sample size for the study was hundred (100) students. The Research instrument was a self-structured questionnaire with Section A, B and C Section A seeks to elicit responses on the socio-emographic
character of respondents, while Section B seeks to elicit responses on the level of knowledge about family planning among women of childbearing age, and Section C elicits diverse family planning practices among women of child bearing age. The
instrument was validated by the researcher's supervisor and two experts in the Department of Health, Safety and Environmental Education (H.S.E.), Faculty of Education. To determine the reliability of the instrument, the internal consistency reliability was adopted. In this vein, twenty (20) copies of the instrument were administered to the respondents who were not part of the target population. Based on the findings, it was concluded that A significant number of women in Ovia North Local Government Area have heard of family planning. While condom use is common, the use of modern contraceptives such as pills, injectables, or IUDs is relatively low. Many women have received family planning services from health facilities, although access is not universal. A considerable proportion of women have discontinued a family planning method due to side effects, indicating a need for better counseling and support for women using contraceptive methods, ensuring they are informed about potential side effects and how to manage them, thereby improving access to family planning services and enhancing the overall awareness of the health benefits of family planning. These efforts are crucial in ensuring better reproductive health outcomes and empowering women to make informed decisions about their family planning choices.

Viruses of the Herpetoviridae family infect 90% of the earth’s population. Humans are the hosts of at least nine unique herpes viruses. This study is aimed at evaluating the seroprevalence of type specific Herpes simplex virus infection and the associated risk factors in a cross-section of asymptomatic healthy women of childbearing age in Kogi State, Nigeria. A total of 330 subject of 15 - 49 years were recruited from various local government areas of the three Senatorial districts of Kogi State. Blood samples were collected from participants and analyzed for HSV-1 and HSV-2 IgG antibodies quantitatively with IgG Type-Specific ELISA kit. In this research, the overall prevalence of HSV infection was 76.7%. Data further showed that majority (96.4%) of the population studied had HSV-1, while 77% had HSV-2 infections. Results also showed that the young adults age 15-25 years indicated prevalence of 93.7% for HSV-1 and 74.4% for HSV-2, while in the middle aged 26-35 years, the prevalence were 100% for HSV-1, and 78.4% for HSV-2. In the age group of 36-45 years the prevalence for HSV-1 and HSV-2 were 98.2% and 82.5% respectfully Among the married women the prevalence was 99.2% for HSV-1, while that of HSV-2 was 86.9% . For the unmarried women the prevalence was 94.5% for HSV-1, and 70.5% for HSV-2. The risk of HSV-1 or HSV-2 infections was not associated with age, age of first sexual exposure and number sex partners before marriage. Married women were at greater risk for HSV-1 (p = 0.03) and HSV-2 (p ≤ 0.001) infections compared to the unmarried women. The prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 among educated subject were 96.2% and 79.9% respectfully while that of uneducated were 66.7% and 75%.The prevalence of HSV-1 and HV-2 among subject who had sexual intercourse below 15 years of age were 100% and 78.9% respectfully while those who had above 15 years of age were 98.4% for HSV-1 and 80.7% for HSV-2. The prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 according to number of sexual partner before marriage were 100% for four partners, for three partners the prevalence was 100% and 83.3% respectfully. For two partners the prevalence for HSV-1 and 2 were 100% and 75% while that of one partner were 99% and 78.6% respectively. There were no significant difference (p=0.611) between the CD4 counts of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infected women and that of uninfected women. In conclusion, the prevalence of the HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections was high among asymptomatic healthy women of childbearing age in Kogi State, Nigeria. Efforts should be made to increase the awareness of HSV infection among women of child bearing populace.