Self-medication practice with modern and herbal medicines and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION: Practicing self-medication using conventional and/or herbal drugs during pregnancy could contribute/result in illness and death for the mother and embryo. The focus of the current study was to investigate the level of practice and factors affecting self-medication with conventional and herbal drugs among pregnant women who were on follow-up at the antenatal care (ANC) clinic of Mizan-Tepi University teaching hospital (MTUTH), Southwest Ethiopia. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1st to February 30th, 2022, among 264 pregnant mothers who were on follow-up at antenatal care of MTUTH. A lottery method was used to pick study subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data which was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 24 software. Bivariate followed by multivariate logistic regression was employed to point out factors affecting self-medication practice with conventional and herbal drugs. P-value <0.05 in multivariate analysis was used as a cut-off point to decide statistical significance. RESULTS: It was revealed that 44.3 percent and 49.2 percent of pregnant women self-medicate with conventional and herbal medications, respectively. Women with no history of self-medication were 6.69 folds less likely to practice self-medication using conventional medicine than those with prior experience (AOR: 6.69, 95% CI, (3.847–11.659). Having no health insurance increased the odds of self-medication using conventional medicine by about 46% among pregnant women (AOR: 0.687, 95% CI, (0.373–1.264). Pregnant mothers who joined college/university education were more likely to practice self-medication than mothers without formal education (AOR: 0.656, 95% CI, (0.304–1.414). Gravidity, education level, and history of herbal medicine use were factors that influenced pregnant mothers’ use of herbal medicines. CONCLUSION: According to the present investigation, self-medication by expectant mothers is very common; thus, education and guidance of pregnant women and their partners should be considered during their ANC follow-up to minimize self-medication-associated potential threats.