Preconception Care: An Untapped Route towards Reducing Infant and Maternal Mortality in Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of preconception care is to reduce parental risk factors before pregnancy through health promotion and intervention which reduces maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Healthcare providers play important roles in providing this care to women and men of childbearing age. In Nigeria however, the implementation of preconception care by healthcare providers remains low. In this review, an overview of preconception care in Nigeria and the barriers that affects its delivery will be explored. Peer reviewed articles were searched using key words related to preconception care and implementation of the care by healthcare providers. Publications were deemed eligible if they reported on preconception care and barriers influencing the provision of preconception care. A careful analysis of existing literatures on the topic shows that, there is a low understanding of preconception care among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. Furthermore, preconception care is not yet widely practiced in the Nigeria as part of health care due to unplanned and recurrent pregnancies, high parity, poor health care seeking behavior and low level of maternal health care. In view of the aforementioned challenges, there is a need to develop and implement preconception policies and guidelines to be applied in the existing health care system. Considering the importance of this care in improving pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, there is a need to educate and engage members of the society as well as health care providers in its importance and delivery.