Expert Warns Against Use of Herbal Medicines in Pregnancy -

Herbal Medicines Dangerous In Pregnancy - Expert Warns Against Use

To think that at this stage of information, we still have pregnant women who would go the extra mile to put the lives of their unborn child at risk and also risking their own lives, is very alarming. To this fact experts have constantly persuade expectant mothers to deist from such practices.

One of such experts is Dr. Babatunde Olayinka who is a Gynaecologist of the National Hospital Abuja who have altogether come out to condemn the use of herbal medicines during pregnancy in other to reduce child morbidity and mortality in the country. According to him, not using herbal medicine will make a pregnant mother avoid giving birth to babies with defects. In other words, the Gynaecologist advised pregnant mothers to desist from taking drugs generally without the doctor’s prescription. According to him, herbal drugs have been known to cause premature contractions if taken during pregnancy.

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According to latest research, herbal medicines contain substances that has the capacity to cause miscarriage, premature birth, uterine contractions, or injury to the foetus. Based on report from World Health Organisation (WHO), it has been estimated 7.9 million infants (6% of worldwide births) are born with serious birth defects every year. The Dr also went further to note that when the herbal drugs are used during the first trimester, it has the ability to cause congenital problem for the newly formed foetus

He said “It can even cause abnormality in babies after birth and then it can also result in miscarriages and in the latter part of the pregnancy; it also can lead to the pre-term baby delivery. “The herbal drugs can even cause damages to the foetus and problems to the liver and kidneys he noted,’’

Dr Olayinka said in spite of the many the advertisements of herbal drugs in the media, research showed that their efficacies were mostly in doubt and strongly kicked against it. Dr Olayinka said that although herbal drugs were derived from properties of plants, they should be avoided when a mother is pregnant.

He went further to highlight that the components of most of the orthodox medicines are well known, the complications are also known, so are the effect of the drugs on major organs of the body. “There are some orthodox medicines that are not safe during pregnancy at all and should be avoided at all cost; even if it is given in pregnancy, the risk of giving the orthodox medicines are weighed before they are administered to a pregnant mother.”

The Dr finally advised all pregnant mother to rather attend ante-natal at the early stage of pregnancy to avoid complications during delivery or having abnormal babies.

Expert Warns Against Use of Herbal Medicines in Pregnancy

Herbal Medicines Dangerous In Pregnancy - Expert Warns Against Use
Source >>> http://healthupnaija.com.ng