Introduction Use of medication for different kinds of symptoms and diseases during pregnancy is common. When counseling the pregnant woman, an understanding of her perceptions concerning the use of medication as well as possible associated anxiety and obstacles is important to ensure high adherence to the treatment regimen. Material and methods A questionnaire was developed regarding the use of medication, perceptions on use of medication, as well as perceptions about pregnancy outcomes in association with medication use during pregnancy. In total, 850 pregnant women in gestational weeks 25‐29 participated in the study. Results The response rate was 92.7% (n = 832/898). About 19.4% of the respondents (n = 160/824) were frequent users (medication use daily to several times a week) and 28.4% (n = 234/824) were non‐frequent users (medication use once a week to once a month). The majority perceived medication use during early pregnancy (61.4%, n = 501/816), late pregnancy (55.6%, n = 455/819) and breastfeeding (57.7%, n = 474/821) as probably harmful or harmful. These findings were more common in non‐users (medication used rarely or never) than frequent users (P‐value <0.001, <0.001 and 0.007). The pregnant women had great confidence in advice from a physician (83.8%, n = 666/795) or a midwife (77.0%, n = 620/805) concerning medication during pregnancy. Conclusions The majority of pregnant women in Sweden consider the use of medication during pregnancy either ‘probably harmful’ or ‘harmful’ and this perception is associated with non‐use of medication. The pregnant women in our study had high confidence in healthcare professionals when seeking advice; thus, actively asking about perceptions could lead to better counseling.

No abstract

PurposeIn Sweden, information on drug use during pregnancy is obtained through an interview and recorded in a standardized medical record at every visit to the antenatal care clinic throughout the pregnancy. Antenatal, delivery, and neonatal records constitute the basis for the Swedish Medical Birth Register (MBR). The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the reliability of reported drug use by simultaneous screening for drug substances in the blood stream of the pregnant woman and thereby validate self-reported data in the MBR.MethodsPlasma samples from 200 women were obtained at gestational weeks 10–12 and 25 and screened for drugs by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-TOF-MS). The results from the analysis were then compared to medical records.ResultsAt the first sampling occasion, the drugs found by screening had been reported by 86% of the women and on the second sampling, 85.5%. Missed reported information was clearly associated with drugs for occasional use. The most common drugs in plasma taken in early and mid-pregnancy were meclizine and paracetamol. Two types of continuously used drugs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and propranolol, were used. All women using them reported it and the drug screening revealed a 100% coherence.ConclusionsThis study shows good coherence between reported drug intake and the drugs found in plasma samples, which in turn positively validates the MBR.

(Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2019;98:856–864) Medications are used frequently during pregnancy to treat an array of symptoms and conditions, from diabetes and asthma to nausea and depression. Women may view medication use as potentially unsafe during pregnancy, particularly due to the thalidomide scandal of the 1960s. One study on herbal medicine use during pregnancy found that 19% of women used herbal medicines during pregnancy and 20% believed they were safer than prescribed medications. This current study examined the perceptions among Swedish pregnant women of overall medication use and herbal medicine use during pregnancy and postpartum when breastfeeding. They also investigated patients’ sense of reliability of the sources from which they got their information about medication use during pregnancy.

Background: More than half of pregnant women use at least one prescribed medication during pregnancy, and almost all pregnant women use some kind of over-the-counter medication. Depression is one of the most common diseases in the world today, also during the peripartum period. The prevalence of pregnant women using antidepressant medication is increasing. General knowledge about the use of medication during pregnancy needs to improve. The overall aim of the studies on which this thesis is based is therefore to examine different aspects of medication use during pregnancy, with a focus on antidepressants. Material and methods:Study I was a questionnaire study where 850 pregnant women were asked about their perceptions on medication use during pregnancy. In Study II, plasma samples from 200 women were obtained at gestational weeks 10-12 and 25, and screened for drugs. The results of the analysis were compared with medication use noted in antenatal medical care records. Study III was a national register-based cohort study including 262,329 pregnant women, and their first child born in 2012-2015. Maternal obstetric and neonatal outcomes were studied in three groups: women diagnosed with depression and who had redeemed an antidepressant before becoming pregnant and women who were diagnosed with depression and who had redeemed an antidepressant both before and during pregnancy, were compared with each other and with women who had neither been diagnosed with depression nor been prescribed antidepressants. Study IV was a pharmacokinetic study that included 81 pregnant women with ongoing antidepressant medical treatment. Antidepressant drug and metabolite concentrations were measured throughout pregnancy. Participants were genotyped for enzymes involved in antidepressant drug metabolism, i.e. CYP2D6 and CYP2C19. Results and conclusions:The majority of pregnant women in our study considered the use of medication during pregnancy as either "probably harmful" or "harmful", and this perception was associated with non-use of medication. The women had high confidence in health care professionals when seeking advice about medication.