Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: An Analysis of the National Health Interview Survey

Birdee, Gurjeet S.; Kemper, Kathi J.; Rothman, Russell L.; Gardiner, Paula

doi:10.1089/jwh.2013.4568

Cited by 48 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Nevertheless, prevalence rates vary widely throughout the literature, mostly due to the lack of a consistent definition of CAM and associated modalities, as well as differences in ethnic and cultural attitude towards complementary health approaches. Following the example of previous studies, we referred to CAM according to its NCCIH definition [6,43,44], and we invite future researchers to do the same in order to establish a uniform definition of CAM.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Demand for Integrative Medicine Practices in Breast and Gynecological Cancer Patients

Schuerger

Klein

Hapfelmeier³

et al. 2018

Breast Care

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Introduction: Integrative medicine is becoming increasingly relevant to modern oncology. The present study aims to assess the demand for integrative therapeutic approaches including complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), body and mind practices, nutritional counseling, and psychological assistance among breast and gynecological cancer patients. Methods: From April to July 2017, a pseudo-anonymous questionnaire was distributed to cancer patients at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Technical University of Munich. Patterns of CAM use and demand for integrative health approaches were investigated by generating descriptive statistics. Results: 182 (90%) of 203 patients participated in the survey. 59% indicated the use of CAM practices in general, and 41% specifically in relation to their oncological disease. Most frequently used modalities were herbal supplements (32%), homeopathy (29%), vitamins (28%), and selenium (21%). Integrative health approaches that patients would have desired alongside conventional oncological treatment were CAM (54%), relaxation therapies (44%), and dietary counseling (43%). Conclusion: There is a considerable demand for integrative medicine among breast and gynecological cancer patients. Our results underline the need for the implementation of evidence-based integrative treatments in cancer care in order to meet the standards of modern oncology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Demand for Integrative Medicine Practices in Breast and Gynecological Cancer Patients

Schuerger

Klein

Hapfelmeier³

et al. 2018

Breast Care

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“…However, because the NHIS data indicate reports of any past year CAM use, we cannot distinguish CAM used in the past year specifically during pregnancy from use in the past year that was not during pregnancy. In the US, one recent study using the same NHIS data examined the prevalence of CAM use among pregnant and postpartum women and found CAM use among pregnant women to be similar to use among non-pregnant women but significantly lower among postpartum women when vitamins and minerals were excluded (Birdee, et al, 2014). Our results are consistent with these findings while extending this research by examining the reasons for CAM use and conditions treated with CAM among women of reproductive age.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, most existing studies on CAM use among pregnant women have either been conducted outside of the US or used small, clinic-based samples that are difficult to generalize to the overall US population. Although one recently published study has documented the US prevalence of CAM use among pregnant and postpartum women (Birdee, Kemper, Rothman, & Gardiner, 2014), no US studies to date have examined the reasons that women of reproductive age use CAM and the conditions being treated with CAM.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Women of Reproductive Age in the United States

Johnson

Kozhimannil

Jou

et al. 2016

Women's Health Issues

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Background The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use, types of CAM used, and reasons for CAM use among reproductive-age women in the United States (US). Methods Data are from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). We examined a nationally representative sample of US women ages 18–44 (n=5,764 respondents). Primary outcomes were past year CAM use, reasons for CAM use, and conditions treated with CAM by pregnancy status (currently pregnant, gave birth in past year, neither). Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of CAM use by pregnancy status. Findings Overall, 67% of reproductive-age US women reported using any CAM in the past year. Excluding vitamins, 42% reported using CAM. Significant differences in use of biologic-based (P=0.03) and mind-body therapies (P=0.012) by pregnancy status were found. Back pain (17.1%), neck pain (7.7%), and anxiety (3.7%) were the most commonly reported conditions treated with CAM among reproductive-age women. However, 20% of pregnant and postpartum women used CAM for pregnancy-related reasons, making pregnancy the most common reason for CAM use among pregnant and postpartum women . Conclusions CAM use during the childbearing year is prevalent, with one-fifth of currently or recently pregnant women reporting CAM use for pregnancy-related reasons. Policymakers should consider how public resources may be used to support appropriate, effective use of alternative approaches to managing health during pregnancy and postpartum. Providers should be aware of the changing needs and personal health practices of reproductive age women.

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“…Our 34-38 percent estimated rates of CAM use by women of childbearing age, pregnant or not, mirror current CAM use by all United States adults (14,36). However, this is less than the national estimates from Australia, which report that 48 percent of pregnant women consulted a CAM practitioner and 52 percent used CAM products (37,38).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…Prior analyses of the 2007 NHIS reported no significant difference in CAM use between pregnant or postpartum (36%) and nonpregnant (41%) women (14). However, the previous analysis did not include other important health behaviors, such as smoking, and did not analyze data separately for specific CAM modalities and reasons for use.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Women During Pregnancy and Childbearing Years

Holden

Gardiner

Birdee

et al. 2016

Obstetrical &Amp; Gynecological Survey

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Objectives: Little is known regarding complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use during pregnancy and the preconception period. Since half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, understanding the patterns of CAM use among women of childbearing age has implications for fetal and maternal health. Methods: Descriptive statistics were generated from the 2012 National Health Interview Study (NHIS) to estimate weighted prevalence and patterns of CAM use by women of childbearing age. Comparisons were made between pregnant and nonpregnant respondents. Results: In this sample of 10,002 women, 7 percent (n = 727) were recently pregnant. Over one-third of all the women used CAM during the previous year (34/38%, pregnant/nonpregnant, respectively) and only half disclosed CAM use to conventional providers (50/49%). In the adjusted model, taking multivitamins (OR 2.52 [CI 2.22-2.86]) and moderate to heavy alcohol use (OR 1.92 [CI 1.53-2.41]) were more likely associated with CAM use. The two most commonly used modalities were herbs (14/17%) and yoga (13/16%). The top reasons for CAM use were to improve general wellness or to prevent disease (33/35%) and to treat back pain (16/18%). When examining all pregnancy-related symptoms treated with CAM, no difference was found in the rates of CAM use between pregnant and nonpregnant users. Conclusions: CAM use by women of childbearing age in the United States is common, with over a third of the population using one or more therapies. However, only half disclosed their use to conventional providers despite limited evidence on safety and effectiveness. This study highlights the important need for further research in this area. (BIRTH 42:3 September 2015)

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Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: An Analysis of the National Health Interview Survey

Abstract: CAM use among pregnancy similar to women who are not pregnant, while postpartum CAM use decreases. Further evaluation of CAM therapies among pregnant and postpartum women is necessary to determine the costs and benefits of integrative CAM therapies in conventional care.

Cited by 48 publications

References 24 publications

Evaluating the Demand for Integrative Medicine Practices in Breast and Gynecological Cancer Patients

Evaluating the Demand for Integrative Medicine Practices in Breast and Gynecological Cancer Patients

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Women of Reproductive Age in the United States

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Women During Pregnancy and Childbearing Years

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