IMPACT SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE, KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF WOMEN ON THE USE OF HERBAL MEDICINES DURING PREGNANCY

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the use of herbal medicines among a sample of pregnant women and to determine whether the use of herbal medicines during pregnancy is associated with women’s attitudes towards herbal medicines and their sociodemographic features, such as age, education level, income, and smoking. A survey was conducted among 650 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy, consecutively recruited in obstetrical ward. Response rate was 95,8%. Most women were under 30 (67,4%) and primipara (53,3%). The majority of subjects (63,5%) declared to have used one or more herbal medicines during their lifetime; 43,8% of pregnant women reported taking at least one herbal medicine during the current pregnancy. 54,2% of users took at least one prescribed medication concomitantly. Women’s habitual use of herbal medicines meant they were at higher risk of taking herbal medicines also during pregnancy. Women were more likely to take herbal medicines if they were housewives, smokers, had moderate family income, with chronic disorders and concomitant drug use. The most frequently herbs taken by interviewees were chamomile, valerian, green tea, cranberry, and garlic. The major purposes for using these products were to cure respiratory problems, CNS disorders and urinary tract infections. The majority of women resorted to obstetricians as the primary information source for of herbal medicines during pregnancy, while they mainly referred to general practitioner and family or friends when not pregnant. In the light of the scanty data concerning the safety of herbal medicines during pregnancy, these results confirm the need to investigate thoroughly the situation of pregnant women and of herbal medicines consumption. Key words: herbal medicines, pregnancy, prevalence, use, maternal characteristics, pharmacoepidemiology. (Pediatric Pharmacology. — 2011; 8 (5): 28–35.)