Women's Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine During Pregnancy: A Critical Review of the Literature

Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicine has attracted much attention and debate in recent years. The objective of this critical review is to examine the evidence base on use of complementary products and therapies during pregnancy. It examines an important but neglected issue i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) Calif.), 2009-09, Vol.36 (3), p.237-245
Main Authors: Adams, Jon, Lui, Chi-Wai, Sibbritt, David, Broom, Alex, Wardle, Jon, Homer, Caroline, Beck, Shoshannah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative medicine
complementary and alternative medicine
Complementary Therapies - adverse effects
Complementary Therapies - psychology
Complementary Therapies - utilization
consumer profiles
Evidence-Based Practice
Female
Health Care Surveys
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
maternity care
Medical research
Midwifery
Motivation
Nursing Methodology Research
Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology
Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data
Patient Education as Topic
Pregnancy
Pregnant women
Pregnant Women - psychology
Prenatal Care - methods
Prenatal Care - statistics & numerical data
Prevalence
prevalence of use
Referral and Consultation
Research Design
Risk Factors
Safety
Treatment Outcome
Women
Women's issues
Womens health
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Summary:Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicine has attracted much attention and debate in recent years. The objective of this critical review is to examine the evidence base on use of complementary products and therapies during pregnancy. It examines an important but neglected issue in maternity care. Methods: A database search was conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, and Maternity and Infant Care. A total of 24 papers published between 1999 and 2008 met the selection criteria and were included in the review. Results: Findings of these 24 papers were extracted and reported under four themes: “user prevalence and profile,”“motivation and condition of use,”“perception and self‐reported evaluation,” and “referral and information sources.” Conclusions: This review highlights four research gaps in the literature, a lack of: large representative samples; in‐depth understanding of user experiences and risk perceptions; research comparing consumption patterns across cultures and over time; and work exploring the nature of the therapeutic encounter with complementary practitioners in this area of women's health care.
ISSN:0730-7659
1523-536X
DOI:10.1111/j.1523-536X.2009.00328.x