Prevalence and Related Factors to Herbal Medicines Use among Pregnant Females

Background: Using herbal medicines during pregnancy has increased during the past decades. Objectives: This study aimed at determining the prevalence and pattern of herbal medicines use during pregnancy in females. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 400 females admitted to Mazandaran hospitals postnatal ward were recruited during the first few days of postnatal period from March to June 2015 and completed a self-report socio-demographic questionnaire, including herbal medicines use extent, dosage, administration route, reasons for use, its effects, herbs administration timing, and whether use was reported to health care providers. Results: Using herbal medicines by the respondents increased from 22.7% before pregnancy to 48.4% during pregnancy. The use of herbal medicines was significantly higher among females living in their own house and married to highly educated husbands, who were working as jobholders. Sour orange (30.76%) and peppermint (22%) were the most commonly reported herbs applied in most cases throughout pregnancy (45.36%). The majority of females took one spoon of the herb per day (52.4%) as brew (51.45%), without the health providers' supervision (49.2%). The most common reasons for using the herbs were to promote fetal health and intelligence (28.3%). The majority of the users reported the effectiveness (96.4%) of the herbs without any side effects (98.1%). Conclusions: Using herbal medicines that were chosen based on cultural beliefs during pregnancy was prevalent. The majority of females reported that herbs were effective without any side effects. The most common information sources used by the females were informal, and lacked knowledge about the herbs safety during pregnancy. Health care providers should inquire about herbs that women take during pregnancy.