February 2023 · Volume 12 · Issue 2 Page 317 International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology Lohnan LC et al. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2023 Feb;12(2):317-321 www.ijrcog.org pISSN 2320-1770 | eISSN 2320-1789 Original Research Article Contraceptive discontinuation and switching behavior among family planning clinic clients in Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia Lucky C. Lohnan 1 *, Samuelson Chibuzo 2 , Khadijat Afolab-Oboirien 1 , Adikpe E. Edugbe 3 , Caleb E. Odonye 4 , James Bitrus 3 INTRODUCTION Contraceptives are effective ways with which couples can use to limit or space the number of children they have. 1 Modern contraceptive methods are ubiquitous, ranging from orals to injectables to intrauterine devices to surgical methods to long acting or short acting methods. 2 There are many benefits to the use of contraception. Contraceptives help in preventing unwanted pregnancies, preventing sexually transmitted diseases, family planning and population control. 1-3 However, inspite of all these benefits of contraception, contraceptive discontinuation and switching is a reality. The dynamics of contraceptive use, discontinuation and switching are important markers of how well the programs are meeting the family planning needs of women and couples. 4 Studying the dynamics of contraceptive use can reveal problems in the use of contraceptive technologies and the gaps in the provision of services and, therefore, provide guidance essential for DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20230115 1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, Nasarawa, Nigeria 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Plateau, Nigeria 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Plateau, Nigeria 4 Department of Public Health, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, Nasarawa, Nigeria Received: 29 December 2022 Accepted: 17 January 2023 *Correspondence: Dr. Lucky C. Lohnan, E-mail: llohnan@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: Contraceptives are effective ways with which couples can limit or space the number of children they have. Several methods of contraception exist, both modern and traditional methods. Couples have a myriad of these from which to choose from. However, contraceptive discontinuation and switching are a reality. The dynamics of contraceptive use, discontinuation and switching are important markers of how well the programs are meeting the family planning needs of women and couples. The aim of the study was to ascertain the magnitude of women who wanted to discontinue or switch their present contraceptive methods and establish the reasons why. Methods: Our study was a cross sectional descriptive study of women attending the family planning clinic of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia over a 12 month period. A self-administered structured questionnaire was administered to the family planning clinic clients after obtaining a written informed consent. Results: Contraceptive discontinuation rate was 36.5%, and the switching rate was 5.2%. The commonest reasons for discontinuing contraception were; desirous of pregnancy (43%), side effects of method (28.2%), husband’s disapproval (16.7%), marital dissolution (4.2%), inconvenience of use (3.1%), failure of method (1.6%) and menopause (0.4%). The reasons for switching were also similar and include; side effects of the method (51.4%), inconvenience of use (16.2%), husband’s disapproval (8.1%), personal choice (5.4%) and marital dissolution (2.7%). Conclusions: We concluded that the contraceptive discontinuation rate was moderately high, while the switching rate was low. We recommend adequate counseling of clients before contraceptive uptake to forestall this. Keywords: Contraceptive, Discontinuation, Contraceptive-switching