Fourteen years' experience in voluntary female sterilization through minilaparotomy in Jos, Nigeria

Between January 1985 and December 1998, 2913 female sterilizations through minilaparotomy were performed. The mean (+/-SD) age was 36.4 +/- 4.2 years and 68% of the women were between the ages of 30 and 39 years. The mean (+/ -SD) parity distribution was 8.0 +/- 2.0; 59.5% of the patients were para g reater than or equal to 8, and the mean (+/-SD) number of living children w as 6.8 +/- 1.6. Only 32.9% had the equivalent greater than or equal to 8 nu mber of living children at the time of the procedure. Completed desired fam ily size was the indication for the tubal occlusion in 95% of the patients. The predominant surgical technique was Pomeroy's method in 97%. Tubal liga tion as an interval procedure was per formed in 93.6% and local anesthesia was used in 83.7%. The study showed a yearly increase in the growth of volu ntary surgical contraception at the institution, made possible by trained p ersonnel. CONTRACEPTION 1999;60: 249 -252 (C) 1999 Elsevier Science inc. AI I rights reserved.