Prevalence and predictors for use of herbal medicine in the treatment of infertility in a secondary health facility in South-South Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Infertility is one of the major medical problems seen in the Gynaecology clinic. Herbal medicine (HM) has become one of the treatment options used to circumvent infertility problems. This study aims to explore the prevalence and predictors for HM use in the management of infertility in our region.
Methodology: The method used was a cross-sectional study of 117 women attending the infertility clinic at Central Hospital Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria. The interviewer administered a questionnaire comprised of socio-demographic characteristics, infertility-related aspects, and information on herbal medicine usage. The main outcome measure was the Prevalence of HM use for infertility treatment and the possible predictors. Analysis was done using SPSS version 22.
Results: The mean age of participants was 34.1 with a standard deviation of 6.66 years. The minimum age of participants was 23 years while the maximum age was 48 years. The prevalence of HM use was 79.9%. The factors that were significantly associated with the use of HM were marital status (p 0.033), history of primary infertility (0.026), and having used HM for the management of other ailments (0.000). Women who were married and having fertility issues were more likely to seek alternative methods like the use of HM.
Conclusion: The prevalence of the use of HM among participants attending the fertility clinic was high at 79.9%. We recommend that health professionals should enquire about the use of HM as this may help in educating the patients about the health risks of using HM. There is a need to explore the potential benefits and risks of HM use.