Abstract
BackgroundUse of herbal medicines during pregnancy has been increase in many developing and developed countries. In spite of the studies done on herbal medicine, no study has addressed use of herbal medicine among pregnant women in Debre Tabor Town. Hence, the major aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of herbal medicine use and associated factors.MethodsA community based explanatory sequential mixed methods was employed. The quantitative method used cross-sectional study design with a sample size of 267 women, also 12 participants in a group for focus group discussion and 6 in-depth interviews from focus group were included for a qualitative part using a purposive sampling technique. The data were coded and entered into Epidata 4.2.0.0 and analysis was done using SPSS version 25, while thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Bivariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to assess associations between dependent and independent variables.ResultsNinety-five (36.3%) of pregnant women used herbal medicine during pregnancy. Prior use of herbal medicine (AOR: 3.138; 95% CI: 1.375, 7.162), unable to read & write (AOR: 9.316; 95% CI: 2.339, 37.101), presence of health problems (AOR: 3.263; 95% CI: 1.502, 7.090), drug availability (AOR: 9.872; 95% CI: 4.322, 22.551) and distance to the health facilities (AOR 6.153; 95% CI 2.487, 15.226) were significantly associated with use of herbal medicine. Only 5(5.3%) of herbal medicine users disclosed their herbal medicine use to their healthcare providers. Zingiber officinale, Eucalyptus globulus, Rutachalepensis, Linumusitatissimum, and Moringa stenopetala were the most commonly used herbal medicines by pregnant women.ConclusionsThe use of herbal medicine during pregnancy is a common practice and significantly associated with educational status, prior use of herbal medicine, presence of health problems, drug availability and distance to the health facilities. Since there was high prevalence and low disclosure rate of herbal medicine use, it should be ensured that physicians/midwives establish a good level of communication with pregnant women.
Highlights
Use of herbal medicines during pregnancy has been increase in many developing and developed countries
Of the total number of respondents, 178 (67.9%) of the study participants were a follower of Orthodox Christian followed by Muslims 66 (25.2%)
We discovered the degree of disclosure between herbal medicine users and their health care providers
Summary
Use of herbal medicines during pregnancy has been increase in many developing and developed countries. Pregnancy is a condition associated with immense physiological alterations resulting in many pregnancyrelated problems, including nausea, vomiting, constipation, and heartburn [4]. These ailments usually result in pregnant women self-medicating using traditional medicine, especially herbs [5]. Pregnant women, in developing countries, use herbal medicines due to its easy accessibility, affordability, lack access to health care and belief that herbs are safer for the fetus than modern medicine because they are natural products [4]. 65–80% of the world’s population use traditional medicine as their primary form of health care, including use during pregnancy [6]. Despite the increased consumption of herbal medicines among pregnant women all over the globe, majority of them are unaware of the potential side effects and a potential teratogenicity of some herbal products [8]
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