Influence of preconception care on maternal health outcomes in selected fertility clinics in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the influence of preconception care on maternal health outcomes in selected fertility clinics in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The descriptive cross-sectional analytical design was adopted in this study. The population for the study consisted of two hundred (200) women attending fertility clinics in Port Harcourt. The sample size for the study was 146 which was selected using a convenience sampling method. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire with reliability coefficient of 0.84. Data analysis was carried out with the aid of SPSS (V-23) using statistical tools such as percentage, mean and Chi-square at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study showed that the extent to which preconception care is provided was high (2.82±1.26). Preconception care has a high impact on maternal health outcomes which were outlined thus: preconception care increases the chances of successful pregnancy (3.50±0.76), it helps to mitigate risk factors before and during pregnancy (3.49±0.72), it helps woman to know the right drug to be taken thereby curbing drug/substance abuse before and during pregnancy (3.47±0.71), and it helps to reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy (3.41±0.68). The factors influencing preconception care were: poor awareness (3.45±0.70), underlying medical conditions of women (3.35±0.91), affordability of care (3.33±0.84), and accessibility of care (3.31±0.64). It was concluded that, preconception care plays a pivotal role in enhancing a healthy conception and maternal health outcomes It was recommended among others that the ministry of health should create awareness and incorporate preconception care into routine maternal healthcare services at the primary healthcare facilities, to achieve better maternal outcome.