TITLE:
Prevalence and Factors Associated with Herbal Medicine Use during Pregnancy and Childbirth among Women Attending Selected District Hospitals in Mtwara Region, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study
AUTHORS:
Adel Mwakanyamale, Nyawawa Wawa, Bupe Khalison Mwandali
KEYWORDS:
Herbal Medicine Use, Prevalence, Factors, Pregnancy, Childbirth, Tanzania
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.10,
October
19,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: Usage of herbal medicine is a common and rapidly increasing public health problem worldwide among pregnant women during pregnancy and childbirth. There are significant reported cases of pregnant women facing pregnancy complications following herbal medicine use during pregnancy and childbirth. This indicates that there is increasing self-medication of herbal medicine among pregnant women; however, data regarding this subject are scanty in our setting. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with herbal medicine use during pregnancy and childbirth in Mtwara region, Tanzania. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study design that was conducted in 3 randomly selected district hospitals in Mtwara region between February 2023 and November 2024. Results: A total of 316 pregnant women were enrolled in the study. Among these, 260 (82.3%) participants reported history of herbal medicine use during pregnancy or childbirth. Living in the rural areas (OR: 10.19; 95% CI [4.22 - 24.59]; p = 0.023), low household income per month (OR: 5.97; 95% CI [2.82 - 43.6]; p = 0.001), low level of education (OR: 0.69; 95% CI [0.36 - 0.94]; p = 0.045) and history of unsuccessful pregnancy (OR: 29.12; 95% CI [3.96 - 213.89]; p = 0.011) were socio-demographic factors associated with herbal medicine use during pregnancy and childbirth. Health-related factors including long distance from health facility (OR: 6.18; 95% CI [3.34 - 11.45]; p Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the utilization of herbal medicine among pregnant women in this study was high, which may be an indicator for poor access to conventional western healthcare. Factors that were found to be significantly associated with herbal medicine use during pregnancy or childbirth included socio-demographic, healthcare-related, behavioral factors and socio-cultural factors. Addressing these factors and providing health education to women during early antenatal visits regarding the effects of the herbs during pregnancy and childbirth.