Prevalence of self-medication of medicinal plants in treatment of common pregnancy problems in women referred to health centers in Kashan

self-medication of herbal medicines during pregnancy can create dangers for the mother and fetus. Considering the existence of common pregnancy problems among many pregnant women and since people think that herbs are harmlessness; this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of self-medication of medicinal plants in treatment of common pregnancy problems in women referred to health centers in Kashan. This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was performed on 300 pregnant and postpartum women referred to health centers of Kashan in 2018. Data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire which included demographic information and a checklist of herbal medicines for treatment of pregnancy common problems. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 17), and descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. P˂0.05 was considered statistically significant. According to the results of this study, 164 cases of women (57.1%) had used the herbs to resolve the common problems during pregnancy without consulting and prescribing of physician. The most common problems for which the pregnant women used herbs to treat them were heartburn، constipation، nausea، and anemia. Considering the high prevalence of consumption of herbal medicine in resolving the common problems of women during pregnancy, the necessity of informing the public about self-medication of medicinal plants is felt.