The authors would like to thank the staff of Synlab Nigeria, Port Harcourt, for their assistance with sample analysis, as well as the healthcare workers at participating clinics for their support in participant recruitment. We also acknowledge the women who generously agreed to participate in this study.
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Ethical approval
The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria (Approval No. RSU/REC/2025/112).
Consent to participate
Informed consent to participate in the study was obtained from all participants.
Consent to publication
Informed consent to publication was obtained from relevant participants.
Availability of data and materials
The data supporting the findings of this study will not be shared due to participant confidentiality and ethical restrictions. However, authors are willing to respond to reasonable questions from readers.
Open Exploration maintains a neutral stance on jurisdictional claims in published institutional affiliations and maps. All opinions expressed in this article are the personal views of the author(s) and do not represent the stance of the editorial team or the publisher.
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