Uptake of Sub-Dermal Contraceptive Implant in the Immediate Postpartum Period at MOI Teaching and Referral Hospital Eldoret, Kenya

Background Sub-dermal contraceptive implant is one of the safest and most effective contraceptive methods with the highest continuation rates, but its overall use is low at 0.3 % globally and 10 % in Kenya. The immediate postpartum period is a missed opportunity to offer contraceptives partly because 43 % of Kenyan women do not receive postnatal care within the first six weeks after delivery. There is paucity of data on rates of uptake of this method in the immediate postpartum period. Objectives To determine the proportion of women who adopt the sub-dermal contraceptive implant in the immediate postpartum period at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. Design Descriptive cross-sectional study. Setting Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret Kenya. Participants Immediate post-partum women. Intervention Insertion of sub-dermal contraceptive implant. Results Data was collected from 353 respondents. The mean age of respondents was 27 years, 152 (43 %) had attained secondary level of education and 102 (29 %) said that trading was their main source of income. The reported median desired number of children was 3 while 124 (35 %) had achieved their desired family size, 306 (87 %) had ever heard of contraceptive implant and 161 (46 %) had ever used it before the current pregnancy. Overall 156 (44.6 %) of women received the contraceptive implant. Conclusion The uptake of sub-dermal contraceptive implant during the immediate post-partum period was high compared to what has been reported in previous Kenya based data. Guidelines should be put in place to make the contraceptive implant a standard part of immediate post-partum contraceptive choices.