Herbal drinks may affect your pregnancy

Iya Abiye is never short of clients at the Oshodi-Bolade herbal clinic she operates. Many orthodox hospitals do not enjoy the same patronage.

All manner of clients visit the place to seek one medical advice or another. However, she specialises in giving herbs to pregnant women for a safe delivery. Abiye, a traditional healer, who has had no formal training in midwifery or medicine consults and prescribes herbal drugs for expectant mothers in that neigbourhood.

How effective her drugs are remains a subject of debate among her clients and non-clients.

However, gyneacolgists are unhappy with the attention herbal concoctions are currently enjoying. According to them, many of the herbal drinks that pregnant women use without doctors’ prescriptions may have serious consequences on their health and that of their babies.

Doctors also claim that self-medication and the use of herbal concoctions among pregnant mothers could predispose their babies to deformities and other congenital challenges.

According to an orthopaedic surgeon with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr. Babajide Saheed, some drugs and herbal medicines contain toxic substances that can affect the bone formation and organ development, resulting in congenital disorders.

Saheed says, “The first six months of pregnancy is not a period for any pregnant woman to experiment with any drug or mixture because it is at this stage that the major organs are forming. If she takes any herbal concoction, it can cause deformity and lead to congenital defects in the baby.”

Another physician, Jimi Shodipo, warns expectant mothers to avoid taking what he calls tetratogenic agents, which are available in herbal concoctions and mixtures that have not been scientifically analysed.

Shodipo notes that many birth defects and congenital diseases can be avoided if mothers took the right decisions for their babies when they were pregnant.

He insists that pregnant mothers should register for antenatal care in hospitals that have the basic personnel that can help.

“A good antenatal care is important so that deformations can be detected early and corrected.”

Though many expectant mothers want to give the best to their babies, they often do not. Why? Doctors say a major reason why some pregnant women do things that harm their babies is ignorance. They note that many of them continue with some deadly habits, which pose great risks to their health and that of their unborn babies.

It is not just about birth defects. Medics also say that the use of herbal medicines can lead to an induced abortion.

Consultant gynaecologist, Bayo Windapo, says no pregnant woman should take any orthodox or herbal medicine in the first six months of her pregnancy without seeking a doctor’s consent.

“In fact, a major reason why abortion is common in this part of the world is the use of herbal concoctions or medicines known as Agbo. These native medicines are toxic and have no scientific dosage. So, if a pregnant woman abuses the medication, it may lead to many complications. You do not know what has gone into it, so do not take it.

“Once a woman is diagnosed to be pregnant, she is not supposed to take any drug, no matter what happens, unless a doctor prescribes it to her. Drug reaction and interaction in the first trimester can lead to a poor organ formation, or abortion. No woman should practise self-medication,” he warns.

Another gynaecologist, Dr. Segun Adetigba, notes that the state of a mother’s health can determine the outcome of her baby.

According to Adetigba, women who are hypertensive, diabetic and those that fall ill frequently are likely to have children with birth defects or congenital problems.

He explains that the accompanying medical conditions arising from these illnesses can upset the foetus and result in complications.

“Some medical conditions make it difficult for women to have a normal baby. If a woman is diabetic or has hypertension, she may not be healthy enough and the baby’s development may suffer.

“If she is falling ill and having malaria frequently, such that she will be needing drugs, it may be difficult for her to have a healthy baby because of the side effect of the drugs on the foetus,” Adetigba notes.

Besides, experts say there are deformities in babies that occur due to some biological and unexplainable factors. For instance, they say a baby may be deformed due to genetic damage.

Windapo explains, “Birth defects can occur if damage has occurred to the chromosomes. This may also lead to having a baby with Down syndrome.”

To prevent congenital diseases, experts stress that women should register for antenatal as soon as they become pregnant and adhere strictly to physicians’ advice.

“As soon as it is confirmed that you are pregnant, especially if it is your first pregnancy, please register in a hospital that has a doctor, not just nurses. Do not go to a maternity home, which usually does not have doctors or specialists. Go to a hospital where you can see doctors regularly and they can tell you if either you or your baby is in danger,” they counsel.