Surveys  Midwives
USA

Midwives in USA recommend Complementary & Alternative medicines

Researchers at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA investigated the prevalence and types of complementary and alternative therapies used by certified nurse-midwives in North Carolina.

Surveys were sent to 120 licensed certified nurse-midwives in North Carolina requesting information concerning their recommendations for use of complementary and alternative medicine for pregnant or postpartum patients.

Eighty-two replies were received (68.3%). Seventy-seven (93.9%) reported recommending complementary and alternative medicines/therapies to their pregnant patients in the past year. Forty-seven (57.3%) recommended complementary and alternative medicines to more than 10% of patients. The percentage of nurse-midwives who recommended each type of complementary and alternative medicine was as follows:

herbal medicine (73.2%), massage therapy (67.1%), chiropractic (57.3%), acupressure (52.4%), mind-body interventions (48.8%), aromatherapy (32.9%), homoeopathy (30.5%),spiritual healing (23.2%), acupuncture (19.5%), and bioelectric or magnetic applications (14.6%).

The 60 respondents who reported prescribing herbal remedies gave them for the following indications: nausea and vomiting, labor stimulation, perineal discomfort, lactation disorders, postpartum depression, preterm labor, postpartum hemorrhage, labor analgesia, and malpresentation.

The report concluded that Complementary and alternative medicines, especially herbal therapy, are commonly prescribed to pregnant women by nurse-midwives in North Carolina.

Obstet Gynecol 2000 Jan;95(1):19-23. Complementary and alternative medicine in pregnancy: a survey of North Carolina certified nurse-midwives. Allaire AD, Moos MK, Wells SR.