Herbal product use in pregnancy and evaluation of affecting factors

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether women use herbal products during pregnancy, which plant species they prefer, the reasons for using them, and whether they rely on medicinal drugs and / or herbal products during pregnancy. Materials and Methods: Our study was carried out for pregnant women who applied to Sakarya University Education and Research Hospital Gynecology and Obstetrics outpatient clinic between May 2019 and June 2019 and who were hospitalized in the clinic, and puerperant women who were in the first 48 hours after birth. Participants were appllied a questionnare asked their socio-demographic characteristics such as age, educational status, profession, and their use of herbal products for any reason during their pregnancy. SPSS 20.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program was used for statistical analysis. Statistical significance level was accepted as p <0.05. Results:117 pregnant women and 61 puerperant women within the first 48 hours of postpastum participated in the study. It was found that 51.7% (n = 92) of the participants used herbal products during their pregnancy. It was determined that the most common use of herbal products during pregnancy was the second trimester. The most used herbal products are; linden (29.4%), lemon (18.1%), mint (16%), olive oil (6.4%), garlic (4.3%), ginger (3.2%), onion (3.2%), almond oil (2.7%), clove (2.7%), and cinnamon (2.7%). The most common reasons for using herbal products are; upper respiratory tract infections, pregnancy cracks, gastrointestinal system disorders, anemia, nausea, lower respiratory tract infections, gestational diabetes. A statistically significant relationship was found between the use of herbal products before pregnancy and the use of herbal products during pregnancy. Conclusion: In areas where modern medical treatment methods are insufficient or inconvenient, the use of traditional and complementary treatment methods is becoming widespread. Pregnancy is one of the most avoided periods of medication use. There is a need for more comprehensive studies on the herbal treatments used during pregnancy and the effects of herbal products during this period. Key Words: Herbal Product, Phytotherapy, Pregnancy, Traditional and Complementary Medicine