ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to determine the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) methods by women diagnosed with infertility who had undergone assisted reproduction methods to conceive a child. The study was descriptive and cross-sectional in design. The study was composed of 310 women admitted to the infertility clinic of a Women's and Children's Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Data were collected via a questionnaire form that was prepared based on the literature. Data were assessed by percentage calculation. The ratio of CAM use among the women in the study was 51%. The most commonly used practices involved the consumption of onions (65.1%) and figs (45.2%), insertion of sheep tail fat into the vagina (42.9%) and eating walnuts (41.7%). The most commonly known practice was the use of onions (81.9%), followed by figs (56. 3%), amulets (34.1%), parsley (30.67%) and prayers (30.3%). Participants stated that only three methods had been beneficial, with onions (two individuals), diet (one individual), and psychotherapy (one individual), considered as successful practices. Evidence-based studies on the most well-known and practiced methods are needed. Therefore, it is essential to perform meta-analyses and randomized controlled studies.
