Herbal Medicines and Pregnancy
Main Article Content
Keywords
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Abstract
The prevalence of herbal medicine use during pregnancy is between 7% and 55%, depending upon the geographic area surveyed and the surveyed group's socio-cultural aspects and ethnicity. Why are women taking natural health products (NHPs) in pregnancy? Women who learn they are pregnant are concerned about the safety of their fetus and may turn to NHPs rather than prescription medication. Use of NHPs in pregnancy is an area where more research is needed. The importance of knowing about these products is to understand their potential dangers in women of childbearing age, particularly when it is known that they are trying to conceive. Information on select NHPs is provided in this presentation.
References
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35. Neri A, Rabinerson D, Kaplan B. Bacterial vaginosis: drugs versus alternative treatment. Obstet Gynecol Surv 1994;49(12):809-13.
36. Gallo M, Sarkar M, Au W, et al. Pregnancy outcome following gestational exposure to echinacea: a prospective controlled study. Arch Intern Med 2000;160(20):3141-3.
37. Chan E. Displacement of bilirubin from albumin by berberine. Biol Neonate 1993;63(4):201-8.
38. Grush LR, Nierenberg A, Keefe B, Cohen LS. St John's Wort during pregnancy. J Am Med Assoc 1998;280(18):1566.
39. Moretti ME, Maxson A, Hanna F, Koren G. Evaluating the safety of St. John's Wort in human pregnancy. Reprod Toxicol 2009;28(1):96-9.
40. NaturalMedicines Comprehensive Database (August 3, 2010). http://www.naturaldatabase.com (August 3, 2010).
41. Natural Standard. The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com (August 3, 2010).
2. Moussally K, Oraichi D, Bérard A. Herbal products use during pregnancy: prevalence and predictors. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2009;18(6):454-61.
3. McFarlin BL, Gibson MH, O'Rear J, Harman P. A national survey of herbal preparation use by nursemidwives for labor stimulation. Review of the literature and recommendations for practice. J Nurse
Midwifery 1999;44(3):205-16.
4. van Trigt AM, Waardenburg CM, Haaijer-Ruskamp FM, de Jong-van den Berg LT. Questions about drugs: how do pregnant women solve them? PharmWorld Sci 1994;16(6):254-9.
5. Mills E, Dugoua J-J, Perri D, Koren G. Herbal Medicines in Pregnancy and Lactation: An Evidence-Based Approach. Toronto: Taylor & Francis, 2006.
6. Moore KL, Persaud TVN. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1973;98.
7. Willetts KE, Ekangaki A, Eden JA. Effect of a ginger extract on pregnancy-induced nausea: a randomised controlled trial. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2003;43(2):139-44.
8. Fischer-Rasmussen W, Kjaer SK, Dahl C, Asping U. Ginger treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 1991;38(1):19-24.
9. Vutyavanich T, Kraisarin T, Ruangsri R. Ginger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: randomized, doublemasked, placebo-controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol 2001;97(4):577-82.
10. Keating A, Chez RA. Ginger syrup as an antiemetic in early pregnancy. Altern Ther HealthMed 2002;8(5):89-91.
11. Sripramote M, Lekhyananda N. A randomized comparison of ginger and vitamin B6 in the treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. J Med Assoc Thai 2003;86(9):846-53.
12. Portnoi G, Chang LA, Karimi-Tabesh L, Koren G, Tan MP, Einarson A. Prospective comparative study of the safety and effectiveness of ginger for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;189(5):1374-7.
13. Smith C, Crowther C, Willson K, Hotham N, McMillian V. A randomized controlled trial of ginger to treat nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2004;103(4):639-45.
14. Sahakian V, Rouse D, Sipes S, Rose N, Niebyl J. Vitamin B6 is effective therapy for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Obstet Gynecol 1991; 78(1):33-6.
15. Vutyavanich T, Wongtra-ngan S, Ruangsri R. Pyridoxine for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1995;173(3 Pt 1):881-4.
16. Simpson M, Parsons M, Greenwood J, Wade K. Raspberry leaf in pregnancy: its safety and efficacy in labor. J Midwifery Womens Health 2001;46(2):51-9.
17. Parsons M, Simpson M, Ponton T. Raspberry leaf and its effect on labour: safety and efficacy. Aust Coll Midwives Inc J 1999;12(3):20-5.
18. Garry D, Figueroa R, Guillaume J, Cucco V. Use of castor oil in pregnancies at term. Altern Ther Health Med 2000;6(1):77-9.
19. Gennaro A. In: Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy. 19th ed. Media: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
20. Jones TK, Lawson BM. Profound neonatal congestive heart failure caused by maternal consumption of blue cohosh herbal medication. J Pediatr 1998;132(3 Pt 1):550-2.
21. Gunn TR, Wright IM. The use of black and blue cohosh in labour. N Z Med J 1996;109(1032):410-1.
22. Finkel RS, Zarlengo KM. Blue cohosh and perinatal stroke. N Engl J Med 2004;351(3):302-3.
23. Rao RB, Hoffman RS. Nicotinic toxicity from tincture of blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) used as an abortifacient. Vet Hum Toxicol 2002;44(4):221-2.
24. Reichert, R. Neonatal congestive heart failure associated with maternal use of blue cohosh. Quarterly Review of Natural Medicine 1998;Winter:265-267.
25. Edmunds J. Blue cohosh and newborn myocardial infarction? Midwifery Today Int Midwife 1999 Winter;(52):34-5.
26. Dove D, Johnson P. Oral evening primrose oil: its effect on length of pregnancy and selected intrapartum outcomes in low-risk nulliparous women. J Nurse Midwifery 1999;44(3):320-4.
27. Wedig KE, Whitsett JA. Down the primrose path: petechiae in a neonate exposed to herbal remedy for parturition. J Pediatr 2008 Jan;152(1):140, 140.e1.
28. Dugoua JJ, Machado M, Zhu X, Chen X, Koren G, Einarson TR. Probiotic safety in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces spp. J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2009;31(6):542-52.
29. Kalliomäki M, Salminen S, Arvilommi H, Kero P, Koskinen P, Isolauri E. Probiotics in primary prevention of atopic disease: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2001;357(9262):1076-9.
30. Kukkonen K, Nieminen T, Poussa T, Savilahti E, Kuitunen M. Effect of probiotics on vaccine antibody responses in infancy--a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind trial. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2006;17(6):416-21.
31. Kukkonen K, Savilahti E, Haahtela T, et al. Probiotics and prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides in the prevention of allergic diseases: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2007;119(1):192-8.
32. Abrahamsson TR, Jakobsson T, Böttcher MF, et al. Probiotics in prevention of IgE-associated eczema: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2007;119(5): 1174-80.
33. Kaplas N, Isolauri E, Lampi AM, Ojala T, Laitinen K. Dietary counseling and probiotic supplementation during pregnancy modify placental phospholipid fatty acids. Lipids 2007;42(9):865-70.
34. Gueimonde M, Sakata S, Kalliomäki M, Isolauri E, Benno Y, Salminen S. Effect of maternal consumption of lactobacillus GG on transfer and establishment of fecal bifidobacterial microbiota in neonates. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2006;42(2):166-70.
35. Neri A, Rabinerson D, Kaplan B. Bacterial vaginosis: drugs versus alternative treatment. Obstet Gynecol Surv 1994;49(12):809-13.
36. Gallo M, Sarkar M, Au W, et al. Pregnancy outcome following gestational exposure to echinacea: a prospective controlled study. Arch Intern Med 2000;160(20):3141-3.
37. Chan E. Displacement of bilirubin from albumin by berberine. Biol Neonate 1993;63(4):201-8.
38. Grush LR, Nierenberg A, Keefe B, Cohen LS. St John's Wort during pregnancy. J Am Med Assoc 1998;280(18):1566.
39. Moretti ME, Maxson A, Hanna F, Koren G. Evaluating the safety of St. John's Wort in human pregnancy. Reprod Toxicol 2009;28(1):96-9.
40. NaturalMedicines Comprehensive Database (August 3, 2010). http://www.naturaldatabase.com (August 3, 2010).
41. Natural Standard. The Authority on Integrative Medicine. www.naturalstandard.com (August 3, 2010).