Implanon uptake and Determinants among family Planning clients at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa Nigeria

Background: Contraceptive use plays a vital role in reducing unintended and high-risk pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and consequently maternal morbidity and mortality. Implanon is a single-rod subdermal implant that provides long-acting reversible contraception for women. Aim: This study aimed to determine the uptake of Implanon and to assess the sociodemographic characteristics of users, previous contraceptive methods, reasons for choosing Implanon, and sources of information. Study Design: A descriptive retrospective study conducted among clients who accessed family planning services at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, over a three-year period from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2020. Results: During the study period, 1,281 clients attended the family planning clinic for contraception, of whom 95 chose Implanon, yielding an uptake rate of 7.4%. The mean age of Implanon users was 33.4 years (range: 20–49 years), with the highest proportion (32.6%) aged 30–34 years. Most users had at least secondary education (50.5%), while 28.4% attained tertiary education. Christians accounted for 95.8% of users, and uptake increased with increasing parity. Over half of the users (54.7%) had no prior contraceptive experience, whereas injectables were the most commonly used method among previous users (32.6%). Information about Implanon was predominantly obtained from clinic personnel (69.5%), and the primary reason for choosing the method was child spacing (68.4%). Conclusion: Implanon uptake was low and is influenced by educational status, with higher use among multiparouswomen in their third decade.