Experiences and Attitudes of Women and Maternity Care Professionals Towards the Use of Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicines and Therapies during and after Pregnancy: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis
This paper explores the preliminary findings on the experiences and attitudes of women and maternity care professionals towards the use of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines and therapies (TCAMTs) during and after pregnancy in high-income countries.
Objective
We aim to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the experiences and attitudes of women towards the use of TCAMTs during and after pregnancy? (2) What are the attitudes of maternity care professionals towards women’s use of TCAMTs during and after pregnancy?
Methods
A systematic literature review of peer-reviewed qualitative and mixed-methods studies published in English, German, Portuguese, and Spanish between January 2014 and November 2024. Comprehensive searches were conducted using the following electronic databases: CINAHL Complete (EBSCO), MEDLINE (EBSCO), EMBASE (Ovid), APA PsycINFO (EBSCO), Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics), SocINDEX, and Scopus(Ovid).
Findings
Women often relied on self-prescribed herbal treatments or therapies recommended by friends, fellow pregnant women, and family rather than healthcare specialists. Their use of TCAMTs focused on: pain management (pregnancy-related, labour, and post-partum, particularly post-cesarean, pain); labour preparation (particularly spontaneous labour without pain relief intervention); emotional regulation; reclaiming post-partum femininity and sexuality; being in control and actively engaging in their healthcare and not just being instructed; seeking what they perceived as ‘safe’ and non-invasive therapies or remedies. They often perceived biomedical consultations as being insufficient and cited concerns over short consultations, avoidance of TCAMTs discussions, and lack of information about TCAMTs by maternity care professionals. Women, however, also raised concerns about TCAMTs safety and the lack of available information. Studies on healthcare professionals’ attitudes were limited, but one noted concerns about the lack of evidence for TCAMTs, their complementary nature, and their potential to empower women.
Conclusion
Improving communication between women and healthcare professionals is essential for shared decision-making and maximising the benefits of TCAMTs.