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Use of traditional Chinese medicine among pregnant women in Taiwan
Author(s) -
Yeh HsiaoYun,
Chen YuChun,
Chen FangPey,
Chou LiFang,
Chen TzengJi,
Hwang ShinnJang
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.07.024
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , traditional chinese medicine , reimbursement , nausea , acupuncture , alternative medicine , family medicine , vomiting , obstetrics , health care , traditional medicine , gynecology , genetics , pathology , economics , biology , economic growth
Objective To investigate the patterns of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use among pregnant women in the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. Methods Women who gave birth in Taiwan in 2006 were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Claims for reimbursement following TCM ambulatory visits by these women were analyzed. Results In total, 20.9% of women in the study who gave birth in 2006 used TCM during pregnancy, with older women more likely to utilize this form of care (23.9% of women > 35 years of age vs 16.2% of women < 20 years of age). There was an increase in the use of TCM for pregnancy‐related problems such as hypertension (194 women before pregnancy vs 2163 during) and nausea/vomiting (220 women before vs 1648 during). The predominant modality (88.4%) of TCM treatment during pregnancy was herbal preparation. Conclusion Traditional Chinese medicine, with the exception of acupuncture, is popular among pregnant women in Taiwan. In addition to its efficacy, the safety of TCM during pregnancy requires future investigation.