The Application of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Pregnant Women Referring to the Kerman University of Medical Sciences Health Centers

Complementary and alternative medicine includes functions not conventionally integrated into the dominant healthcare system. Therefore, due to its great popularity, this study was done to investigate the application of complementary and alternative medicine in pregnant women referring to Kerman University of Medical Sciences health care centers in 2023.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 226 pregnant mothers with pregnancy records in the "Sib system" from 54 health centers in four geographical regions of Kerman were selected by simple random sampling. Information was collected by a questionnaire including demographic information, method, frequency, application, reasons for use, and effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine and analyzed by SPSSV23 software. The qualitative variables were described using frequency and percentage. The relationship between demographic variables and the application of complementary and alternative medicine was determined by logistic regression.

The results showed that more than 80% (n=189) of pregnant women used complementary medicine, more than 40% (n=93) reported high effectiveness, and more than 80%tried (n=160) at least one method. The most frequent use was in the herbal medicine section. More than 78% (n=178) used complementary medicine without doctor consultation, and the most common reason for use was safety and fewer side effects. The most frequently familiar way with complementary medicine was through family, friends, and acquaintances (65.93%, n=149), and the least was the health professionals and caregivers (6.20%, n=14). A significant relationship was observed between gestational age and the use of complementary medicine (P<0.05).

It is suggested that according to the origin of complementary and alternative medicine among pregnant women and its potential effects, trained specialists and caregivers provide recommendations regarding the use of complementary and alternative medicine. In this regard, pay more attention to the individual differences of pregnant mothers.