BACKGROUND: Malaria infection during pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. For this reason, the World Health Organization currently recommends intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP). This is the current standard of care for pregnant women in National Hospital Abuja AIM: To assess whether intermittent preventive therapy eradicates peripheral and placental malaria and improves pregnancy outcome in malaria endemic area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional study of 426 pregnant women who registered, attended antenatal care and delivered in the National Hospital during the period of study. The parturient women who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled consecutively as they presented in the labour ward. The presence of malaria parasite in the maternal blood and placental tissue were determined using standard microscopic method. The fetal outcome was also determined.