ABSTRACT
Background: In most developing countries like Nigeria, female sterilization is not a popular method of contraception. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of female sterilization and socio-demographic characteristics of women who had sterilization in our setting.Methodology: This was a retrospective study carried out between 1st January 1997 and 31 December 2006.A total of two hundred and one female sterilisation operations were performed but ten case notes were incomplete and therefore, one hundred and ninety one 191 were analyzed. Information retrieved from the case notes included the age, parity, religion, literacy, and type of bilateral tubal ligation. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS Version 16.0 statistical package and the results represented in simple tables and percentages.Results: There were 16,319 deliveries during the study period and 201women had bilateral tubal ligation (BTL), giving a prevalence of 1.2%. The mean age at BTL was 30.18, while the mean parity was 4±0.6. Women between the ages of 30-39 constituted majority of the patients. In most of the women 138 (72.3%) bilateral tubal ligation was performed during caesarean section, while few women 16 (8.4%) had the procedure at laparotomy. The rest, 37(19.4%) women opted for interval BTL. Significantly more literate women (73%) sought for interval tubal ligation compared to non literate (23%) ones. A large number of the Muslims (87.5%) had BTL at laparotomy compared to the Christians (12.5%). P=0.002.Conclusion: The prevalence of bilateral tubal ligation in this study is low. There is need to encourage the uptake of female sterilization in our environment