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In Africa, indigenous methods of contraception continue to play a significant role in preventing unwanted pregnancies despite the introduction and popularity of modern contraceptives. The current review identified the common techniques and practices of African indigenous contraception, and examined their mechanisms and reasons for use. We searched data bases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCohost, African Journals, Science Direct, textbooks, thesis and dissertations for research articles on African indigenous contraception. Fisogatinib manufacturer The six common techniques of African indigenous contraception included periodic abstinence, withdrawal, breastfeeding, use of herbs, postpartum abstinence and waist bands, whilst practices relate to child (birth) spacing, postponement of first birth (virginity), stopping of reproduction and indigenous emergency contraception. Mother and infant health was stated as one of the reasons for using African indigenous contraception. African indigenous contraception continues to play a critical reproductive role in preventing unwanted pregnancies. However, there is lack of clarity regarding mechanisms, the safety, and efficacy of some techniques.Sedentary lifestyle is very high in the Saudi population in general and significantly high among females. Furthermore, some postpartum tradition imposes limited activities during postpartum periods. For women to be active during the postpartum period, they should have enough self-efficacy (SE) to overcome perceived barriers (BP). This study aimed to evaluate postnatal exercises’ PB and SE among postpartum women. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was followed in this study. This study was conducted at the outpatient department/ Maternal and Child hospital in Najran city, KSA. The study comprised a convenience sample of 368 postnatal women. Data collection was done using a questionnaire composed of three parts; socio-demographic data and obstetric history, exercise benefits/barriers scale and exercise self-efficacy scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0. The relationships between variables were assessed using the Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. The correlations were assessed using Pearson correlation. The study results illustrated that 52.4% of the postpartum women had moderate SE to exercise, and 71.5% had moderate PB. Also, there were statistically significant relationships between the study participants’ SE and PB and their educational level and nationality (p less then 0.05). In addition, significant negative correlations existed between the participants’ SE and their Body Mass Index (BMI), age, gravidity, parity, number of children, and PB (p less then 0.05). On the other hand, significant positive correlations were observed between the participants’ PB and their BMI, age, gravidity, parity, and number of children. This study concluded that about two-thirds of the postpartum women in Najran had low or moderate SE to practice postnatal exercises, and the majority of them had moderate or high BP. Efforts to enhance postnatal exercises should be directed to increase SE to overcome BP concerning postnatal exercises.Maternal mortality is a global problem, particularly in developing countries. This study explored perceptions, knowledge and attitudes of women of reproductive age concerning maternal deaths in Qaukeni Sub-District, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. This was a community-based qualitative study using using in-depth interviews among women of reproductive age. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The study found some of the mothers knew the causes, signs and symptoms of pregnancy as well as danger signs during pregnancy such as haemorrhage, sepsis, high blood pressure and complications of unsupervised home deliveries, while others had little knowledge about these signs and symptoms. The participants indicated that using herbal medications during pregnancy could result to serious complications and even maternal death. Women do not attend antenatal care because of the long distances, absence of clinics, shortage of nurses and doctors; thus, predisposing women to deliver at homes with the assistance of traditional birth attendants, who had limited knowledge related to health issues and the Prevention of Mother- to-Child-Transmission programme. The findings indicated that some women are knowledgeable about the causes of maternal deaths during pregnancy as well as the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. Health education during pregnancy and provision of better resources would help improve the maternal health of women in this rural setting.Teenage pregnancy has become a common global public health issue, associated with increased risk of obstetric complications and adverse neonatal outcomes. Teenagers are more prone to obstetric complications compared to older women. This study examined the maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes among teenagers, and compared them with older pregnant women. This study extracted maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes from 196 medical records of women delivered at Fort Beaufort Hospital from April 2017 to March 2018. Teenagers developed anaemia (13%) and pre-eclampsia (2.1%) during pregnancy as compared to older pregnant women. Most of the women delivered through normal vertex, although the teenagers had the highest percentage of caesarean section (27%) compared to the older women. Few proportions of women developed complications during delivery, however, obstructed labour (14.7%), prolonged labour (11.5%), foetal distress (14.8%) was more prevalent in teenagers. Most neonates were delivered at preterm birth and were alive across all age groups. However, few of the preterm births (23.2%) and very premature neonates (7.4%) occurred among the teenager mothers compared to older women. Few neonates had an Apgar score of less than 7 in 1 minute across all age groups. The risk of obstructed labour, prolonged labour, and foetal distress was predominant among teenagers compared to the older women. There was high incidence of vaginal deliveries, preterm babies and low Apgar score among teenagers compared to the older women. The findings of this study revealed that the teenagers start booking at the second trimester, which may impose the risk of complications if not observed at an early stage. There was high incidence of vaginal deliveries, preterm babies and low Apgar score among teenagers compared to the older women. Programmes to support early antenatal bookings for teenagers are important to address adverse maternal complications associated with late antenatal bookings.