Determinants of women's decision making on whether to treat nausea and vomiting of pregnancy pharmacologically

Anne Baggley, Yvette Navioz, Caroline Maltepe, Gideon Koren, Adrienne Einarson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

33 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) affects up to 80% of all women to some degree during their pregnancies. Diclectin (doxylamine and pyridoxine [vitamin B6]) has been on the Canadian market for many years and is indicated as the drug of choice for the treatment of NVP. However, some women choose not to treat NVP with pharmacologic measures, perhaps due to a persistent fear of teratogenic risk. The objective of this study was to determine the factors that influence a woman's decision not to treat NVP with pharmacologic measures. Fifty-nine women recruited from the Motherisk Nausea and Vomiting Helpline completed a questionnaire. All were informed that Diclectin was considered safe for use during pregnancy. At a follow-up telephone call, 34% were not using any pharmacologic treatment, and of those who were taking the drug, 26% were using less than the recommended dose. Reasons cited for not using the medication were insufficient safety data, preference for non-pharmacologic methods, and being made to feel uncomfortable by the physician. Of the women who did use Diclectin, the most convincing reassuring information that it was safe to use came from friends and family. Many other factors play a large role in a women's decision making.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)350-354
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Midwifery and Women's Health
Volume49
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2004

Keywords

  • Decision making
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Pregnancy
  • Treatment

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