The Use of Herbal Medicines for fertility Treatment amongst Attendees of an Infertility Clinic in a Tertiary Hospital
Keywords:
Nigeria, Complementary and alternative medicine, herbal medicine, Reproductive health, InfertilityAbstract
Background: Desperation and resort to unorthodox means to achieve pregnancy is common in developing societies where resources are limited and the blame for infertility is mainly on the woman. This study seeks to document the prevalence and factors associated with herbal medicine use among women seeking medical treatment for infertility.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using data from 171 consenting infertile women attending the infertility clinic at a University Teaching Hospital. The survey instrument was a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire designed to evaluate socio-demographic and clinical characteristics with questions concerning the use of herbal medicines and associated factors
Results: Overall 105(61.4%) women had used herbal/traditional medicine for the treatment of infertility.Majority (73.3%) took the drug orally. About 50% of the participants reported that herbal medications were not safe for use. Majority, 90.5% of participants did not disclose to their health care provider. The level of education and duration of infertility were found to significantly influence
the use of herbal medicines (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: The high prevalence of herbal medicine use in this study reflects a strong negative socio-cultural influence on women's reproductive health decisions. Women with low education status and longer duration of infertility are more vulnerable to these influencers. Public enlightenment on the fallacy of the potency of these herbal medications with a view to propagating more appropriate and effective medical treatment is recommended.
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