By Abujah Racheal, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Inside a busy Wuse Market salon in Abuja, the loud hum of a hair dryer muffles conversations.
These casual salon chats carry as much authority as official medical advice for many Nigerian women.
For 24-year-old Mrs Toyosi Abraham, what began as a routine visit to have synthetic braids installed became an unexpected lesson in reproductive health, built not on science but on fear.
As her stylist worked through her hair, she leaned closer and lowered her voice.
“Do not take those family planning pills for too long. My cousin used the injection and never became pregnant again. It can destroy your womb,” her stylist warned.
The words stayed with Abraham long after she left the salon.
Although she had been using contraception to delay pregnancy while settling into marriage and building her career, the frightening account left her questioning whether to continue.
“I trusted her because she sounded so certain. She genuinely believed what she was saying,” Abraham recalled.
Across Nigeria, similar conversations take place daily in salons, markets, churches, neighbourhood gatherings and family compounds, where reproductive health information is often shared through personal experiences, cultural beliefs and long-held assumptions.
While some of this advice is helpful, much of it is inaccurate, allowing myths to compete with evidence-based medical guidance.
Dr Olayinka Badmus, former Deputy Project Director for Risk Communication at Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria, provided insights.
Badmus said misinformation circulating through trusted social networks remained a major barrier to family planning, alongside limited access to quality healthcare, fear of side effects, cultural and religious beliefs, gender inequality and economic constraints.
According to Badmus, these challenges are reflected in Nigeria’s reproductive health indicators.
Nigeria has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios, estimated at 576 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, and accounts for about 14 per cent of global maternal deaths.
The total fertility rate remains 4.8 children per woman, while only 46 per cent of births are attended by skilled health personnel.
The latest Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) also shows that only about three in every 10 married women can make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
Although the modern contraceptive prevalence rate among married women has increased to about 20 per cent, unmet need for family planning remains high at 21 per cent.
For millions of women, the decision to delay or space pregnancies is influenced not only by access to services but also by fear and misinformation.
Research by Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) Nigeria and other organisations shows that myths about contraception remain widespread.
Common misconceptions include claims that contraceptives cause permanent infertility, cancer, damaged wombs, menstrual disorders or promiscuity.
Health experts, however, say modern contraceptives are safe and effective when used correctly.
While some methods may cause temporary side effects such as irregular bleeding, nausea or weight changes, these are usually manageable through proper counselling and selecting the most appropriate method.
Beyond misinformation, wider social factors continue to shape reproductive health outcomes.
Available data indicates that about 63 per cent of pregnant women receive antenatal care, yet access to quality maternal health services remains uneven, particularly in rural communities.
The adolescent birth rate stands at about 75 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, while nearly one in three Nigerian girls marries before the age of 18.
Gender inequality further limits women’s reproductive autonomy.
National data indicate that only about 46 per cent of women participate in decisions about their own healthcare.
Experts say these conditions create fertile ground for misinformation.
Dr Biobele Davidson of BudgIT’s Health System Strengthening Team, also weighed in.
“When women cannot easily access trusted, respectful and confidential reproductive health services, they naturally turn to people they know,”
“Unfortunately, those trusted spaces sometimes become channels for misinformation,” he said.
Abraham’s experience illustrates this reality.
After hearing the alarming claims in the salon, she eventually visited a public health facility in Garki, Abuja, hoping for reassurance.
Instead, she encountered long queues, rushed consultations and questions about her marital status before anyone addressed her concerns.
“I almost walked away without asking my questions. It felt like I was being judged instead of being helped,” she said.
Public health experts say such experiences discourage many women, especially adolescents and unmarried women, from seeking reliable reproductive health information.
Davidson said strengthening respectful counselling in health facilities was essential, but added that health authorities must also recognised the influence of informal community spaces.
Dr Olusegun Samuel Oyeniyi, Director of Reproductive Health at the Federal Ministry of Health, agreed.
“Many women genuinely want to plan their families, but fear and misinformation often prevent them from using available services.
“Improving counselling, client experience and communication about contraceptive benefits and possible side effects is critical,” he said.
Health professionals warn that abandoning contraception because of misinformation can result in unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and avoidable pregnancy-related complications.
Ms Ogechi Onuoha, Programme Director at MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices, said misinformation spread as rapidly online as it did through face-to-face conversations.
“Women and girls are exposed to conflicting messages from social media, relatives and community members.
“If we are serious about improving reproductive health, we must engage women where they already seek information,” Onuoha said.
Experts say that deep-rooted cultural expectations also influence reproductive choices.
Newly married women are often expected to conceive immediately, while contraception is sometimes wrongly associated with promiscuity or rejection of cultural and religious values.
These beliefs discourage open discussion and leave many women relying on rumours instead of professional advice.
Recognising this, reproductive health organisations are increasingly taking accurate information beyond health facilities and into communities.
For salon owner Mrs Blessing Atala, participating in a reproductive health awareness programme changed the way she responds to clients’ questions.
“I used to repeat what I heard because I thought it was true. Now I encourage women to speak with qualified health professionals and explain that many of these stories are simply myths.”
Atala believes salons can become powerful spaces for health education.
“Women spend hours here discussing marriage, children, relationships and health. That allows us to encourage them to seek accurate information,” she said.
Advocates say improving access to contraceptives alone will not significantly increase uptake if misinformation continues unchecked.
They recommend sustained behaviour-change communication, stronger investment in reproductive health, community engagement, and better counselling services.
They also called for equipping salon owners, market women, youth leaders, traditional birth attendants and other trusted community figures with accurate reproductive health information.
Dr Ejike Oji, Chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning in Nigeria, said expanding adolescent-friendly services, strengthening counselling and using digital platforms to counter misinformation in local languages would help women make informed reproductive choices.
Back in Wuse Market, Abraham now reflects differently on the conversation that almost changed her life.
“I realised not everything people say is true. If I had stopped using family planning without speaking to a health professional, I would have made a decision based on fear instead of facts,” she said.
Her experience mirrors that of many Nigerian women navigating conflicting messages about reproductive health.
Nigeria’s efforts at lowering maternal mortality and boost family planning hinge on fighting misinformation outside traditional clinics.
It is the submission of health experts that engaging women in everyday spaces like markets, salons, and churches fosters the trust needed to prioritise factual reproductive health over fear.(NANFeatures)