ABSTRACT
Introduction: The use of herbal medicine is common in the general population. However, it has not been well-studied among pregnant women in Nigeria, especially in the northeast. Knowledge of herbal medicine use in this population is important in improving maternal and child care. Objectives: 1. To determine the prevalence of herbal medicine use during pregnancy among the study population. 2. To determine the association between herbal medicine use and pregnancy-related outcomes. Methodology: The study was conducted among 339 women attending the postnatal clinic of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, from July to September 2022. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were administered to participants selected through consecutive sampling. Information about the antenatal care details of the participants was retrieved from their folders. Data analysis was conducted using Epi Info version 7.2.5.0 software produced by the Centers for Disease Control, USA. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of the Hospital. Results: The lifetime prevalence of herbal medicine use was 38.1% among the study participants. In their last pregnancies, over a quarter (27.1%) of the participants had used herbs. This group was significantly less likely to use routine hematinic (folic acid and iron tablets) than participants who did not use herbs while pregnant (X2=22.9, p<0.00000). Family income and religion were associated with herbal medicine use in pregnancy on logistic regression (p=0.02 and 0.008 respectively). Conclusions: Herbal medicine use is common during pregnancy in the study population and is strongly associated with a low uptake of iron and folic acid.
