Amie Steel1, Jon Adams2, David Sibbritt2, Alex Broom3, Jane Frawley2, Cindy Gallois4. 1. Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Health, UTS, Level 7, Building 10, 235-253 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2006, Australia; Office of Research, Endeavour College of Natural Health, 269 Wickham St, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006, Australia. Electronic address: amie.steel@uts.edu.au. 2. Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Health, UTS, Level 7, Building 10, 235-253 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2006, Australia. 3. School of Social Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. 4. School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: there is evidence of high use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by pregnant women. Despite debate and controversy regarding CAM use in pregnancy there has been little research focus upon the impacts of CAM use on birth outcomes. This paper reports findings outlining the incidence of adverse birth outcomes among women accessing CAM during pregnancy. DESIGN: a survey-based cohort sub-study from the nationally-representative Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) was undertaken in 2010. PARTICIPANTS: women (aged 31-36 years) who identified in 2009 as pregnant or recently given birth (n=2445) from the younger cohort (n=8012) of ALSWH were recruited for the study. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: participants' responses were analysed to examine the relationship between use of CAM and adverse birth outcomes from their most recent pregnancy. Of the respondents (n=1835; 79.2%), there were variations in birth outcomes for the women who used different CAM. Notably, the outcome which was most commonly associated with CAM use was emotional distress. This was found to occur more commonly in women who practised meditation/yoga at home, used flower essences, or consulted with a chiropractor. In contrast, women who consulted with a chiropractor or consumed herbal teas were less likely to report a premature birth, whilst participation in yoga classes was associated with an increased incidence of post partum/intrapartum haemorrhage. KEY CONCLUSIONS: the results emphasise the necessity for further research evaluating the safety and effectiveness of CAM for pregnant women, with a particular focus on birth outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: health professionals providing care need to be aware of the potential birth outcomes associated with CAM use during pregnancy to enable the provision of accurate information to women in their care, and to assist in safely supporting women accessing CAM to assist with pregnancy, labour and birth.
OBJECTIVE: there is evidence of high use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by pregnant women. Despite debate and controversy regarding CAM use in pregnancy there has been little research focus upon the impacts of CAM use on birth outcomes. This paper reports findings outlining the incidence of adverse birth outcomes among women accessing CAM during pregnancy. DESIGN: a survey-based cohort sub-study from the nationally-representative Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) was undertaken in 2010. PARTICIPANTS: women (aged 31-36 years) who identified in 2009 as pregnant or recently given birth (n=2445) from the younger cohort (n=8012) of ALSWH were recruited for the study. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS:participants' responses were analysed to examine the relationship between use of CAM and adverse birth outcomes from their most recent pregnancy. Of the respondents (n=1835; 79.2%), there were variations in birth outcomes for the women who used different CAM. Notably, the outcome which was most commonly associated with CAM use was emotional distress. This was found to occur more commonly in women who practised meditation/yoga at home, used flower essences, or consulted with a chiropractor. In contrast, women who consulted with a chiropractor or consumed herbal teas were less likely to report a premature birth, whilst participation in yoga classes was associated with an increased incidence of post partum/intrapartum haemorrhage. KEY CONCLUSIONS: the results emphasise the necessity for further research evaluating the safety and effectiveness of CAM for pregnant women, with a particular focus on birth outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: health professionals providing care need to be aware of the potential birth outcomes associated with CAM use during pregnancy to enable the provision of accurate information to women in their care, and to assist in safely supporting women accessing CAM to assist with pregnancy, labour and birth.
Authors: Holger Cramer; Jane Frawley; Amie Steel; Helen Hall; Jon Adams; Alex Broom; David Sibbritt Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2015-08-21 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Esther I Feijen-de Jong; Danielle E M C Jansen; Frank Baarveld; Evelien Spelten; François Schellevis; Sijmen A Reijneveld Journal: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth Date: 2015-06-25 Impact factor: 3.007
Authors: James S McLay; Naila Izzati; Abdul R Pallivalapila; Ashalatha Shetty; Binita Pande; Craig Rore; Moza Al Hail; Derek Stewart Journal: BMC Complement Altern Med Date: 2017-12-19 Impact factor: 3.659
Authors: Bernie Garrett; Timothy Caulfield; Blake Murdoch; Matt Brignall; Atul Kumar Kapur; Susan Murphy; Erin Nelson; Jillian Reardon; Mark Harrison; Jonathan Hislop; Barbara J Wilson-Keates; Joseph Anthony; Peter S Loewen; Richard M Musoke; Joan Braun Journal: Health Soc Care Community Date: 2021-05-26