Background: World over, there has being an improvement in birth spacing resulting in a reduction in the perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality rates. Objective: To appraise the factors influencing inter-pregnancy interval (IPI) among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done among antenatal attendee, with at least one previous delivery, in Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki over a six month period using a structured questionnaire. Data obtained was analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 28.6 (95% CI 28.1-29.1) years. The majority (231, 70%) were multiparous. Most respondent (162, 49.1%) had their last delivery 6-12 months prior to conception. The significant determinants of IPI include: maternal age, marital status, place of residence, social class, baby's sex, family income, use of contraceptive, parity and outcome of her last confinement. Contraceptive knowledge is high (300, 90.9%); more than 50% had the desire to use some form of contraceptive but majority (132, 40%) said they will never use contraceptive after delivery. Conclusions: Majority of the women had an IPI of 6-12 months. The major determinant of this includes having a live birth in last delivery, parity, marital status, and place of residence. The attitude to contraception is poor; effort needs to be directed into identifying the immediate and remote causes of this as this will help in proper education and counselling needed to increase contraceptive uptake.

Introduction: Pelvic examination in the evaluation of patients can be a source of dissatisfaction and litigation from patients. A chaperone is beneficial in militating against unforeseen circumstances surrounding this clinical examination. Aim: To access the opinions and preferences of patients in pelvic examinations and factors associated with the use of chaperones in Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study. Women were recruited between October 2017 to April 2018 among patients attending the Gynaecological Clinic at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data such as the socio-demographic characteristics, feelings towards pelvic examinations, and preferences about the gender of the examining doctor as well as the presence of a chaperone. Data analysis was done using International Business Machines Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) Statistics version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: Out of 423 questionnaires distributed, 395 respondents completed the survey giving a response rate of 93.4%. The mean age of the respondents were 29.2±6.2 years. Majority of the respondents would prefer to be seen by a female gynaecologist 342 (86.6%). About 50 (12.7%) respondents would decline pelvic examination. The commonest reason given for refusing gynaecologic examination was uncomfortable environment 25 (50%). More than two-third 264 (76.5%) would prefer to have a chaperone present at any pelvic examination. Avoidance of sexual molestation was the commonest reason given for wanting a chaperone to be present 207 (78.4%). Nulliparous women (OR=2.25 95% CI 1.13-4.50) and those with at least a secondary education (OR=7.91 95% CI 4.54-13.78) were also more likely to request a chaperone. Conclusion: Majority of the women in present study wanted the presence of a chaperone during a pelvic examination. It is therefore recommended that chaperones should routinely be offered during pelvic examination in Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria.