Self-medication and safety profile of drugs used by pregnant women in three hospitals in the city of Yaounde – Cameroon

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effects of self-medication during pregnancy.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study took place from November 2020 to May 2021 in the city of Yaoundé-Cameroon. The Central Hospital, the Hospital of the Cameroonian Presbyterian Church of Djoungolo and the Social and Health Center of Nkolndongo were selected. Pregnant women who came as outpatient consultations were interviewed. The data collected concerned socio-demographic variables and the practice of self-medication.

Results: A total of 280 participants were recruited, with a mean age of 28 years and most of them had higher education levels. More than half of the participants were in the third trimester of pregnancy and 80.71% of these women had not prepared their pregnancy. Married women made up just over a third of the population. Self-medication with conventional and traditional medicines is practiced by thirty-five percent of the population. The medicines used belonged to categories B (81.31%), A (6.59%) and C (6.59%). Paracetamol was the most used medicine, Zinziger officinale and Aloes vera were the most used phyto-medicines in traditional medicine.

Conclusion: Self-medication during pregnancy involved both conventional and traditional medicines. The latter present a potential risk for the pregnant woman as well as for the fetus.