ETHNOBOTANY OF CONTRACEPTIVES AMONG THE PEOPLE OF EJIGBO, OSUN STATE. A RESEARCH PROJECT MATERIAL ON BIOLOGY
ABSTRACT
Unwanted pregnancy followed by unsafe abortion can be avoided by using different contraceptive methods. Information on knowledge, attitude and practice of contraceptives among youth is particular important because of high rates of teenage and unwanted pregnancies as well as soaring STI and HIV.AIDS rates. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, the case is not different as significant proportion of youth who engages in premarital sex, either lack basic knowledge of contraception, or are ignorant about contraceptive practices. This study examined the knowledge, and use of contraceptive method among youths in Ejigbo of Osun state Nigeria.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Rapid rise in population has caused serious problems in the economic growth and all round human development leading to poverty in developing countries (Dabhadkar and Zade, 2012). Family planning has been promoted through several methods of contraception, but due to serious adverse effects produced by synthetic steroidal contraception (Bingel and Benoit, 1973 ;Bingel and Benoit, 1973), attention has been focused on indigenous plants for possible contraceptive effect.
The importance of plants as a source of antifertility drugs has been emphasized by many researchers (Farnsworth et al., 1975; Yakubu et al., 2007).
Herbal contraceptives and abortifacients are those plants used for birth control or in the prevention of pregnancy and for premature expulsion of a foetus from the womb. Many plants have been reported to have sterilizing, contraceptive and abortifacient properties (Bablola, 2009). Plants that have contraceptive and abortifacient properties may act through rapid expulsion of the fertilized ova from the fallopian tube, inhibition of implantation due to a disturbance in oestrogen – progesterone balance, foetal abortion, perhaps due to lack of supply of nutrients to the uterus and the embryo, and also on the male side through affecting sperm count, motility and viability (Ciganda and Laborde, 2003; Kaunitz and Benrubi,1998; Nounmi and Tchakonang, 2001).
Antifertility agents obtained from indigenous medicinal plants would be of immense benefit especially to inhabitant of developing countries, since the cost of these drugs would be within their means (Goonasekera et.al. 1995).
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