Prevalence of herbal medicine use and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Mbeya Refferal Hospital in 2010

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Herbal medicines are defined as plant-derived material or preparations perceived to have therapeutic benefits; they often contain raw or processed ingredients from one or more plants. Plants have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Herbal medicines are used in pregnancy although there is very little real evidence of safety. Although herbs are natural, not all herbs are safe to take during pregnancy. Some herbal products may contain agents that are contraindicated in pregnancy. In developing countries the quality of health provision remains poor. With poor health facilities and poor emergency obstetric care, the maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity have remained high. Some of the factors contributing to high maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity can be minimized just by health education. This can only be achieved when these factors are well studied. The use of herbal medicine during pregnancy may be among the contributing factors to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. This study looked at the magnitude of herbal medicines use during pregnancy and their associated factors. Methodology A cross sectional study on the use of herbal medicine during pregnancy was conducted on 400 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Mbeya Referral Hospital. The interviewers initially explained the working definition of herbal medicines to the mothers. All pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria and consented were interviewed. Pregnant women who were gravida two or above were interviewed using structured Swahili version questionnaires regarding their immediate past pregnancy. Results; The prevalence of herbal medicine usage was 55%. The use of herbal medicine during pregnancy was associated with long distance to the nearest health facility and low education level (p=<0.05). Of the users, 64.1% did so because they believed that modern medicine alone is not sufficient to solve all their health problems in pregnancy. Those women who used herbal medicine during pregnancy or their relatives believed that when the baby is in the womb is targeted by superstitious powers from people who don’t like them. They trusted both herbal and modern medicines as 65% of the women who used herbal medicine during their immediate past pregnancy, delivered in health facilities. Fear of complications to the baby (54.0%) and religious vii beliefs (35.0%) were the most common reasons for not using herbal medicine during pregnancy among non users. Parents and relatives were the most frequent advisers on the use of herbal medicine during pregnancy in this study (70.0%). Majority of mothers in this study took herbal medicine during labor and in the third trimester, 90.5% and 39.1% respectively. Only 6.8% took herbs during the first trimester. Taking herbal medicine during different trimesters of pregnancy may cause different effects like excessive uterine contractions (84.3%), fetal distress (66.7%) and abortions (3.9%). The majority of mothers (37.7%) in this study used herbal medicine twice throughout pregnancy, mainly during labor and the third trimester. In addition, 49.5% used only one type of herbal medicine throughout pregnancy. Perception on the effectiveness of herbal medicine in solving or preventing problems will influence whether mothers might use them again in the next pregnancy. In this study 45.9% of those who used herbal medicine said they will use herbs in their index and future pregnancies. Conclusion; The use of herbal medicines during pregnancy among women attending antenatal clinic at Mbeya Referral Hospital was associated with, low education level of pregnant women and long distance to the health facility. Majority of the users do so due to the influence of the older family members. Education about the effects of herbal medicine on pregnancy should be given at primary schools, during ANC sessions and through media. Further research, specifically pharmacological study focusing on local commonly used herbal medicine is to be carried out to identify the ingredients of the herbs and to evaluate the effects of these compounds to the fetus.