The widespread use of herbal drugs during pregnancy indicates an increased need for documentation about the safety of herbal drugs in pregnancy. To meet the needs of pregnant women, it is necessary for health care personnel to have knowledge about herbal drugs during pregnancy.
BackgroundThough nausea and vomiting is very common during pregnancy, no studies have investigated the impact of this condition on the women’s daily lives in a Scandinavian population. The aim of this study was to describe the burden of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) on global quality of life, daily life functioning and willingness to become pregnant again according to the severity of NVP symptoms.MethodsThis study is a cross-sectional population-based study conducted in Norway. Pregnant women and mothers with children <1 year of age with current or prior NVP were eligible to participate. Data were collected through an anonymous on-line questionnaire accessible from November 10th, 2014 to January 31st, 2015. Severity of NVP was measured using the 24-h Pregnancy Unique Quantification of Emesis Scale (PUQE). Associations between severity of NVP, daily life functioning and willingness to become pregnant again were tested using chi-square tests. Associations with global quality of life measured in terms of the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) were estimated using generalized linear models and reported as unstandardized regression coefficients (β) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results712 women with NVP were included in the study. NVP was significantly associated with several characteristics, including daily life functioning, quality of life and willingness to become pregnant again. The negative impact was greater the more severe the symptoms were, although considerable adverse effects were also seen among women with mild and moderate NVP symptoms. Over one fourth of the women with severe NVP considered terminating the pregnancy due to NVP, and three in four considered not to get pregnant again. Severity of NVP remained significantly associated with reduced global quality of life when adjusting for maternal characteristics and illnesses with β (95% CI) = −10.9 (−16.9, −4.9) for severe versus mild NVP.ConclusionsNVP as measured by PUQE had a major impact on various aspects of the women’s lives, including global quality of life and willingness to become pregnant again.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1249-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Objective:
Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) affects 0.3–3% of pregnant women and is a leading cause of hospitalization in early pregnancy. The aim of the study was to investigate women’s treatment and management of HG, as well as the consequences of HG on women’s daily life.
Design and setting:
A cross-sectional study based on a structured telephone interview and an online questionnaire. Participants were recruited by social media and by the Norwegian patient’s organization for HG.
Subjects:
Norwegian women that experienced HG.
Main outcome measure:
Women’s perspectives on management and consequences of HG.
Results:
The study included 107 women. Maternal morbidity was profound; about 3/4 of participants were hospitalized due to HG, and the majority showed clinical signs of dehydration (79%), ketonuria (75%), and >5% weight loss (84%). Antiemetics were used by >90% and frequently prescribed “as needed”. Metoclopramide (71%) and meclozine (51%) were most commonly used. Participants described HG as having severe psychosocial consequences and profound impact on daily activities. Almost two out of five reported thoughts of elective abortion, and 8 women had at least one elective pregnancy termination due to HG. Overall, 20 women (19%) changed GPs due to dissatisfaction with HG management.
Conclusion:
Despite the high psychosocial burden and major impact on daily activities, many women with HG reported a lack of support from healthcare professionals and suboptimal management. Greater awareness and knowledge among healthcare professionals is needed to improve care for women with HG.
Key Points
There is a paucity of studies on management and the consequences of HG on women’s daily lives and psychosocial burden. We found that:
• Many women described HG as one of their worst life experiences with profound morbidity.
• Many women reported suboptimal management of HG and lack of support from healthcare professionals.
• Greater understanding of patient perspectives among healthcare professionals is important to improve care and management for HG patients.
The widespread use and positive attitude toward herbal drugs in pregnancy indicates an increased need for documentation about both the efficacy and safety of herbal drugs in pregnancy. Women between 26 and 35 years with a prior history of herbal drug use and high knowledge about herbs, are more prone to using herbal drugs in pregnancy.
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