Self-Medication among Pregnant Women in the Jasikan District of Ghana

Introduction: Reducing maternal mortality is a key to achieving sustainable development. However, self-medication is one of several health-seeking behaviours that threaten the life of pregnant women and undermine the achievement of improved maternal health.

Aim: This research aimed at exploring the phenomenon of self-medication and its effects on pregnant women in the Jasikan District in the Oti Region of Ghana.

Methodology: The study employed a cross-sectional survey approach to collect data from 50 randomly selected pregnant women in the Jasikan District in the Oti Region of Ghana. Data were analysed using SPSS and presented using quantitative metrics.

Results: The research found out that self-medication was high among respondents thus 68% of the study respondents were found already engaged in self-medication. Even though almost half of the respondents (46%) remained informed of the effects on the mother and the foetus. Severity of disease condition, age, marital status, women getting pregnant many times, level of education, occupation, were some of the main factors informing the practice of self-medication among respondents. The research also found that lower abdominal pain, malaria, headaches, stomach problems, colds and flu, and sexual transmitted infections were the most commonly self-medicated treated disease conditions, often treated with herbal drugs, analgesics, antibiotics, and antacids.

Conclusion: A significant number of pregnant women are still involved in self-medication despite its adverse effects on the health of the mother and the child and in spite of the various efforts of government to provide equitable access to maternal healthcare such as the implementation of the free maternal healthcare policy. Interventions are therefore needed in the study area to reduce self-medication among pregnant women. Intervention programmes should target family members or relatives of pregnant women to ensure effective adherence to safe medication use during pregnancy.