Purpose: This study was designed to investigate medication use among Jordanian pregnant women, and to evaluate their level of awareness about safety of medication use during pregnancy.
Materials and methods: Pregnant women who attended the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics at the largest hospital in North of Jordan area were interviewed using a questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions about demographics, medication use during pregnancy, and resources of information regarding medication use in pregnancy.
Results: Two hundred and forty pregnant women agreed to participate in the study and were interviewed with a response rate of 94.5%. Folic acid (93.8%) was the most frequently used medication during pregnancy followed by multivitamins (57.9%), iron supplements (55.8%), and paracetamol (41.7%). The majority (82.1%) considered first trimester to be the most critical period in which drugs ingestion can cause harm to the fetus. The great majority relied on physicians (90.4%) to be their main source of information followed by pharmacists (15.4%).
Conclusions: Folic acid was the most frequently used medication during pregnancy and the majority of participants took medications based on physician's recommendations. However, there were also cases of self-medication.