Unmet Need of Emergency Contraceptives: The Curious Scenario of Female Undergraduates in the Niger Delta

Background: The high morbidity and mortality among young women from unsafe abortions resulting from unwanted pregnancy and teenage pregnancy are mostly as a result of low contraceptive usage especially emergency contraceptives (EC). This is often due to restricted availability, limited knowledge, worries about side effects and future fertility, underestimation of pregnancy risk, high cost, religious and cultural barriers. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, use and unmet need of emergency contraceptives among female undergraduates of the Niger Delta University. Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted in July 2013 among 450 female students who were randomly selected using the multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected with the aid of a pre-tested, structured self-administered questionnaire. Epi-Info 3.5.3 was used for data entry