By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
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An expert in family health matters, Professor A. Abubakar Panti has said that currently, there is a pressing need for limiting the family size and control of population at the national level.
Prof Panti expressed this, while presenting a paper on day one of a three-day training for media practitioners in Nigeria, organised by Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health has opened on Tuesday March 1, 2022.
“The need of birth control at personal level has arisen through increasing standards of living, scarcity of accommodation, a desire for better educationin the current competitive world and a desire for an improved standard of living,” he said.
He explained that the term contraception includes all measures, temporary or permanent designed to prevent pregnancy due to the act of coitus.
According to him, though traditional methods of child spacing have existed from time immemorial, modern methods are taking the stage.
He said a widely used method of contraception, Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCD) is used world-wide by over 100million women.
“IUCD is an effective, reversible and long term method ofcontraception,which does not require replacement for long periods and does not interfere with sexual activity.
“The device is impregnated with barium sulphate to renderit radiopaque, so that it can be detected by radiograph and this thread protrudes through the cervical canal intothe vagina, where it can be felt by the patient and thedoctor.
“IUCD has undergone a lot of development, from the firstgeneration of non-medicated devices to the recentProgestogen impregnated devices,” he said.
He said that Nigerian fertility compared to othercountries rate is the average number of live birth per women over a life time.
Total fertility has fallen markedly over time in many countries.The global fertility rate had declined but the sub-Saharan African region has the highest fertility rates.
“Nigeria is among the 10 countries with the highest fertility rate in the world,” he said.
