BackgroundrnTreatment of bipolar disorder in female patients pauses great difficulty because medications thatrnare being used have risk of causing congenital malformations and neurodevelopmental problemsrnin babies born to mothers who took the drugs during their pregnancy and also women withrnbipolar disorder have higher risk of untended pregnancies and birth related complications thanrnthe general population. So female patients who are in the reproductive age group should bernaware of these risks and should be able to take necessary precautions which include pregnancyrnplanning, effective contraceptive use and folate supplementation.rnObjectivernTo assess awareness of teratogenic risk and practice of contraceptive use among reproductivernage women with bipolar disorderrnMethods A hospital-based cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted at AmanuelrnSpecialized mental Hospital. Samples of 384 consecutive outpatients with bipolar disorderrndiagnosis were enrolled. Data was collected using structured questionnaire which wasrnadministered by psychiatry nurses. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the SocialrnSciences (SPSS), Version - 21.rnResults â€“ 384 participants who had follow up at Amanuel specialized mental hospital outpatientrnclinic participated in the study. About 40% of participants reported that they have awarenessrnabout teratogenic risk of mood stabilizer treatment.rn38.28% reported current use of contraceptive methods. Among the participants who were takingrnmood stabilizers 223(60.6) did not use contraceptive11111111111111111rnConclusions -In this study, the majority of women with bipolar disorder did not have awarenessrnabout teratogenic risk and majority of them reported that they were not using contraceptivernmethods. Psychoeducation about teratogenic risk and the need for contraceptive use for womenrnwith bipolar disorder attending psychiatric outpatient clinic should be strengthened.rnKey words: bipolar disorder, women, contraceptive, teratogen, Amanuel specialized mentalrnhospital, Ethiopia