Prevalence of Herbal Medicine use among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal care at Jimma University Medical Center, Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: The use of herbal medicine during pregnancy for different indications now a day becomes common across globally. Its use is increasing, especially in developing countries. It is estimated that 65%-80% of the population use herbal products Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of herbal medicine use among pregnant women attending Antenatal care at Jimma University medical center, Southwestern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed to conduct the study. Data was collected by data collectors using data abstraction formats, then entered and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Frequency and percentage were computed as summary statistics. Results: A total of 341 pregnant women attending antenatal care were enrolled in the study, of which 331 participated in the study. Out of 331 pregnant women who participated in the study, 3.93% of them practiced self-medication with herbal medicine during their current pregnancy. Conclusions: The most frequently practiced herbal medicine among pregnant women attending antenatal care at JUMC were Ginger and Damakese with the most common clinical indication of vomiting and headache respectively. The source of information for the participant's herbal medicine use were mostly family and friends.