The social class and reasons for grand multiparity in Calabar, Nigeria

Background: Grand multiparity is a high-risk pregnancy, and it is a common phenomenon in this part of the world, and when added to low socioeconomic status, it significantly increases obstetrics risk to mother and fetus. Objective: To determine the social class and reasons for grand multiparity in Calabar. Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar. The study comprised 150 grand multiparous women who were admitted for delivery and consented to the study during the period. The social class, educational level, and reasons for grand multiparity were determined. The data obtained were collated and analyzed using SPSS version 18. Results: The incidence of grand multiparity in this study is 8.7%, and most grand multiparous women belong to low social class 63 (42.0%). Grand multiparity was higher among women with primary education, polygamous marriage, and traders. Gender desirability (31.3%) was the most common reason for grand multiparity followed by desire for more offspring to maintain large family size (16.7%). Conclusion: This study showed that the incidence of grand multiparity is still high in our environment, and the reasons were complex, multiple, interrelated but preventable. Health awareness on the dangers of grand multiparity, reorientation of our long-held culture of gender preference, female education, and economic empowerment will help women to discard wrong sociocultural and religious beliefs.