Design: We executed a cluster-randomized parallel arm pragmatic trial to observe the association of home-based postpartum contraceptive provision, including the contraceptive implant, with three and 12-month contraceptive utilization, satisfaction, and pregnancy rates.
Methods: Eight clusters were randomized to receive either the home-based contraceptive delivery (condoms, pills, injection, implant) during the routine 40-day postpartum visit in addition to routine care, or routine care alone, which included comprehensive contraceptive counseling throughout antepartum care.
Results: 208 women were enrolled in the study, 108 in the intervention clusters and 100 in control clusters. 94 (87.0%) women in the intervention group and 91 (91%) of women in control clusters were evaluated 12 months post-enrollment. Likelihood of using contraception at that time was borderline increased in intervention clusters (RR 1.1 [1.0,1.3], p = 0.05) with an increased likelihood of long-acting contraceptive use (the implant; RR 1.6 [1.3,1.9], p < 0.001). Pregnancy rates were also borderline reduced in the intervention clusters (RR 1.0 [1.0,1.1], p = 0.07). There was no difference in satisfaction of women with contraceptive use between arms with about 95% of women very satisfied or a little satisfied in each arm. Continuation rates at twelve months of contraceptives in the intervention group were 0.0% for condom users, 80.0% for contraceptive pill users, 57% for injectable users, and 83% for implant users. Most women who discontinued their initial method chose a more long-term or permanent method. There was a trend toward a significant association with reduced short interval pregnancy.
Conclusion: Our study had a borderline increase in overall use of contraception by 12 months, did have an increased likelihood of long-acting contraceptive use of the implant by 12 months, and resulted in a trend toward reduced short interval pregnancy in the intervention clusters as compared to control clusters.
Design: We conducted a secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized trial to observe characteristics associated with women who chose to use long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) compared to those who chose a short-acting method 12 months after enrollment.
Methods: The trial studied four control and four intervention clusters where the intervention clusters were offered contraception at their 40-day routine postpartum visit; control clusters received standard care, which included comprehensive postpartum contraceptive counseling. Women were followed through twelve months postpartum.
Results: The study enrolled 208 women; 94 (87.0%) were in the intervention group and 91 (91.0%) were in the control group. At twelve months, with 130 (70.3%) women using contraception at that time. 94 women (50.8%) were using a short acting method compared to 33 (17.9%) who chose a long-acting method, irrespective of cluster. In mixed effect regression modeling adjusted for cluster, characteristics associated with a reduced likelihood of choosing long-acting contraception in multivariate modeling included age (aRR 0.98 [0.96,0.99], p = 0.008) and any education (compared to no education; aRR 0.76 [0.60,0.95], p = 0.02). Women who were sexually active by their enrollment visit (40 days postpartum) were 30% more likely to opt for a long-acting method (aRR 1.30 [1.03,1.63], p = 0.03).
Conclusion: Older and more educated women were less likely to be using LARC a year after enrollment, while women with a history of early postpartum sexual activity were more likely to choose LARC.
Background: To compare outcomes at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital to national and regional data and to plan quality improvement and research studies based on the results.
Methods: This study was a prospective hospital-based cross-sectional analysis of a convenience sample of 1, 000 women who delivered at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital.
Results: Our convenience sample was young (median age 24 years) with a primarily school level or less of education (68.6%). Only about 5% of women had a history of prior cesarean birth, 2.1% reported they were human immunodeficiency virus seropositive, and the median number of prenatal visits was four. Women were commonly admitted in spontaneous labor (84.5%), transferred from another facility (49.2%; 96.8% of which were referred from a health center), and had their fetal heart rate auscultated on admission (94.7%). Only 5.2% of women did not deliver within twenty-four hours and the cesarean birth prevalence was 23.4%. Many women were delivered by midwives (73.2%; all unassisted vaginal births), 89.2% were term deliveries, and 92.5% of neonatal birthweights were 2500 grams or heavier. Less than five percent of women delivered stillbirths (4.3%) and 5.7% of livebirths experienced neonatal death by the day of discharge. There were no maternal deaths in the cohort.
Conclusion: The prevalence of stillbirth and neonatal death were the most notable findings, while there was no maternal death in the cohort.

