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Articles

Self-medication among pregnant women in two municipalities in the Central Region of Ghana

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Pages 547-562 | Received 23 Oct 2018, Accepted 11 Jan 2020, Published online: 23 Jan 2020
 

Abstract

Self-medication in pregnancy is a concern in Ghana. We assessed the practice among 136 pregnant women in Effutu and Agona West Municipalities using facility-based, cross-sectional design and mixed method approach of data collection. Our findings show that pregnant women of varying backgrounds self-medicate for sociocultural and economic reasons, with 69% prevalence, motivated by cheaper treatment cost (17%), minor ailments (29%) and positive outcomes (33%). Commonly used medications include antibiotics (23%), pain killers (20%) and herbal preparations (19%). We recommend further studies on pharmacological compositions of the medications used and effects on pregnancy outcomes to inform policy and programs decisions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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