The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has expressed concern over increasing reports of Nigerian women experiencing medical complications linked to family planning methods, particularly implants and other modern contraceptives, and has called for urgent reforms in patient-centred care and complication management across public health facilities.
In a statement issued at the weekend, PeacePro Executive Director Abdulrazaq Hamzat said the organisation had documented multiple complaints from women nationwide, most recently in North Central Nigeria, reporting symptoms such as breast pain and swelling, abnormal bleeding, fatigue, hormonal imbalance and blood pressure fluctuations.
PeacePro emphasised that while family planning remains an important component of reproductive health, interventions cannot be considered successful if women experiencing complications are unable to access timely care or feel discouraged from reporting symptoms.
“PeacePro supports voluntary and informed family planning. However, women’s safety, dignity and autonomy must remain the foundation of every reproductive health intervention,” Hamzat said, warning that preventable harm and silence in public hospitals could deepen distrust in institutions and undermine social stability.
The organisation noted that some cases had resulted in hospital admissions in private facilities lasting several days, suggesting serious medical consequences.
It also expressed concern that pain and complications sometimes persist after implant removal, while structured follow-up care in public facilities remains limited.
Citing the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, PeacePro said 15.2 per cent of contraceptive discontinuation was linked to perceived adverse effects or health concerns, while 37 per cent of contraceptive use episodes were discontinued within 12 months.
About 24 per cent of implant discontinuations were attributed to side effects or health concerns.
Hamzat added that clinical studies on the Jadelle implant in Nigerian women found irregular uterine bleeding in 31.1 per cent of users within six months and amenorrhoea in 16.6 per cent after 12 months.
A separate facility-level study reported side effects among 48.5 per cent of users, with menstrual irregularities and amenorrhoea among the most common.
PeacePro further raised concerns that some women requesting discontinuation of contraceptive methods encounter discouraging counselling, administrative delays or removal fees, practices it said violate informed consent and reproductive autonomy.
The organisation warned that donor-driven programmes focused on targets rather than safety could erode trust in the health system, widen inequalities—especially in rural areas—and push women towards unsafe alternatives.
PeacePro called on federal and state health authorities, development partners and implementing agencies to suspend aggressive family planning campaigns pending a comprehensive safety review.
It also urged a nationwide audit of family planning services, the establishment of an independent patient-safety review body, guaranteed barrier-free discontinuation of contraceptive methods, and stronger reporting systems for complications.
Hamzat said any system that discourages reporting, delays discontinuation or ignores complications must be corrected immediately, adding that addressing the concerns is both a public health priority and a peacebuilding necessity.
