Medication use during pregnancy: patterns and associated factors

Medina, Flávia; Rodrigues, Leandra; Coelho, Joana; Nascimento, Luís

Publication

Medication use during pregnancy: patterns and associated factors

2025Conference object

datacite.subject.fos	Ciências Médicas
datacite.subject.sdg	03:Saúde de Qualidade
dc.contributor.author	Medina, Flávia
dc.contributor.author	Rodrigues, Leandra
dc.contributor.author	Coelho, Joana
dc.contributor.author	Nascimento, Luís
dc.contributor.editor	Mangoni, Arduino
dc.date.accessioned	2025-10-31T16:32:36Z
dc.date.available	2025-10-31T16:32:36Z
dc.date.issued	2025
dc.description.abstract	Pregnancy causes physiological changes that can increase vulnerability to illness and alter drug pharmacokinetics, while some medications cross the placenta and affect foetal development, especially during organogenesis. These risks highlight the importance of careful monitoring and support regulatory updates such as the FDA’s 2015 revision of pregnancy risk categories. Objectives: To identify factors associated with medicine use during pregnancy and describe consumption patterns among pregnant women in northeastern Trás-os-Montes, Portugal. Methods: A cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 205 women from Bragança and Mirandela, all of whom had experienced at least one pregnancy. Data were collected between April and June 2023 using a structured questionnaire adapted from Guerra et al. (2008) [2]. Results: A total of 79.5% reported using medication during pregnancy. The most used substances were folic acid (12.2%), paracetamol (29.3%), and doxylamine-pyridoxine (23.4%). The most frequent groups included dietary supplements, analgesics, and antiemetics. Although supplements are not classified as medicines, their inclusion is justified due to widespread use and relevance during pregnancy. A statistically significant association was found between age and medicine use (p < 0.01). Most women reported having received professional guidance and being aware of the associated risks. Conclusion: Women in northeastern Trás-os-Montes demonstrated awareness of medication risks and used medicines under professional supervision, despite few reporting complications. These results underline the importance of ongoing education and the role of healthcare professionals in ensuring safe medicine use during pregnancy.	por
dc.identifier.citation	Medina, Flávia; Rodrigues, Leandra; Coelho, Joana; Nascimento Luís (2025). Medication use during pregnancy: patterns and associated factors . In 13th APLF Annual Conference. Aveiro. ISSN 2042-0984. 16:5, p. 40-41
dc.identifier.doi	10.1177/ 20420986251379201
dc.identifier.issn	2042-0986
dc.identifier.issn	2042-0994
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10198/34909
dc.language.iso	eng
dc.peerreviewed	yes
dc.publisher	Associação Portuguesa de Licenciados em Farmácia (APLF)
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject	Pregnancy
dc.subject	Medication use
dc.title	Medication use during pregnancy: patterns and associated factors	eng
dc.type	conference object
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.citation.conferencePlace	Expo-Aveiro, Parque das Exposições
oaire.citation.issue	Issue S1
oaire.citation.title	13th APLF Annual Conference
oaire.citation.volume	Volume 16
oaire.version	http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyName	Nascimento
person.givenName	Luís
person.identifier.ciencia-id	9918-ED25-623E
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0002-1302-2570
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	9e7bebc0-4460-4f4c-b687-10e34c3b36b9
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	9e7bebc0-4460-4f4c-b687-10e34c3b36b9