Background: Worldwide maternal mortality has witnessed a significant reduction in the last 2 decades and this has partly been due to the increase contraceptive use and with consequent reduction in inter-pregnancy interval. The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing inter-pregnancy intervals among pregnant women attending antenatal care and their contraception needs Methods: A cross-sectional study on pregnant women with at least one previous delivery attending antenatal clinic of a Teaching Hospital using a structured questionnaire Results: The mean±SD age of the respondents was 27.4±0.6 (20-44) years. The majority (76%) were multiparous. Vaginal delivery (91%) and live birth (86.9%) were reported in the last pregnancy. Most respondent 64.4% had their last confinement more than 2years. Marital status (p<0.05), educational status (p=0.003), average income per month (p=0.003), parity (p=0.02), outcome of previous pregnancy (p=0.01), mode of delivery (p=0.001) and duration of breastfeeding (p=0.001) were factors which showed significant association with inter-pregnancy interval. Awareness of modern contraceptive methods was reported by 65.4%, with 60% and 32.6% wanting to resume contraceptive use immediately and within 6-12months of delivery respectively. Conclusions:The study showed inter-pregnancy interval of twenty-four months. Obstetric and socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with inter-pregnancy interval. Effective health information and reproductive education would encourage effective contraception uptake and better maternal and baby outcome. RESULTSFour hundred women were interviewed, however only 390 questionnaires were valid for analysis.

Several studies estimate that the average time to resumption of intercourse ranged from 5 to 8 weeks after delivery. 1-5 Many doctors recommend waiting four to six weeks before resuming sex, to allow the cervix to close, lochia to stop, and tears to heal. 6 In a recently conducted study in Australia, 41% of the women attempted vaginal intercourse by the time they were 6 weeks postpartum, 65% by 8 weeks postpartum, and 78% by 12 weeks postpartum. By the time they had reached 6 months postpartum, 94% of mothers had attempted vaginal sex. However, sexual activities like kissing, cuddling, oral sex and coitus inter-femoris were resumed sooner than vaginal sex. 7 A study of women in Turkey found that 42% resumed sexual intercourse within six weeks of giving birth. 8 American and British studies found that at six weeks, 57% of women had resumed sexual

A B S T R A C TBackground: Emergency contraception (EC) or postcoital contraception has the potential to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus the abortion rate. Tertiary institutions' students are a unique group with very high social interaction, but by virtue of their level of education, probably forms a group in any community, which should have an overall higher level of awareness and use of available methods of contraception, including that of EC. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude toward EC, and as well to determine the prevalence of emergency contraceptive use among the students of tertiary institutions in Osun State, Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study using the self-administered structured questionnaire on questions relating to the socio-demographic characteristics of the students, sexual relations, knowledge of contraception in general and EC, use and determinants of EC use. Results: A total of 384 of the 400 questionnaire were returned of which male respondents were178/384 (46.4%) while the females were 206/384 (53.6%). Two hundred and seven respondents 207/384 (53.9%) were university students, while 177/384 (46.1%) were polytechnic students. Most respondent 142/376 (37.8%) derived knowledge of EC from friends and family life education from school 186/373 (49.9%). More than half of respondents are in sexual relationships, with only 71/384 (18.5%) showing good knowledge of EC. However, use of EC was 106/384 (27.6%). Conclusion: Most tertiary institutions' students are involved in a sexual relationship, have poor knowledge of EC and use of EC also. Formal family life education, partner approval, and previous use of EC encourage further use. There is a need for carefully designed education programs and promotion of family life education with deliberate awareness on safe sex practices, including EC in existing students' health enlightenment programs on campuses.

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