The Use of Complementary Medicine During Childbearing Years: A Multi-Country Study of Women From the Middle East

Arabiat, Diana; Whitehead, Lisa; Gaballah, Samia; Nejat, Nazi; Galal, Ebtehal; Sabah, Eman Abu; Smadi, Nazek; Saadeh, Inas; Khlaif, Randa

doi:10.1177/23333936211042616

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Despite that, 23.70% firmly believed that traditional herbs can treat PCOS. This can be explained by the cultural belief in using traditional herbs to treat illnesses in the Middle East, especially gynecological problems such as hormonal imbalances and infertility [ 39 ]. Another study reported a prevalence of up to 82.3% use of herbal medicine during pregnancy in the same region [ 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polycystic ovarian syndrome awareness among females in the UAE: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2023

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Background Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder affecting females of reproductive age. Clinical guidelines recommend following the diagnostic criteria of PCOS based on an appropriate assessment of the patient’s clinical presentation. Sufficient awareness among the population will prompt females to seek medical attention when necessary. This study aimed to assess knowledge and awareness about PCOS among females above the age of 18 years in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to correlate the level of awareness with women's backgrounds, demographics, and education levels. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in early 2020. 430 females over the age of 18 years were conveniently selected and interviewed in the UAE using a 21-item questionnaire that assessed participants' awareness of PCOS as a term, its causes, symptoms, complications, treatment, and prevention. 414 entries were eligible for data analysis. IBM® SPSS® Statistics version 25 was used for data entry and analysis. Results 349 participants (84.3%) were familiar with the term PCOS. However, only 21.7% of them had sufficient awareness of the syndrome (95% CI = 17.77–25.71%). Being knowledgeable of PCOS was significantly associated with having a previous diagnosis (p = 0.002) and with studying or working in a medical field (p < 0.001). In addition, females who knew someone diagnosed with PCOS were 5 times more likely to be more aware compared to those who didn’t (95% CI = 2.5–10.8; p < 0.001). Age, education level, and nationality showed no correlation with the level of awareness. Conclusions Overall, the level of PCOS awareness was insufficient in the study sample. Participants whose source of information was medical practitioners demonstrated more accurate knowledge. Accordingly, awareness of PCOS needs to be raised among females in the UAE, aiding early diagnosis and improving patient-oriented outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polycystic ovarian syndrome awareness among females in the UAE: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2023

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“…This can be explained by the cultural belief in using traditional herbs to treat illnesses in the Middle East, especially gynecological problems such as hormonal imbalances and infertility. [40] Another study reported a prevalence of up to 82.3% use of herbal medicine during pregnancy in the same region. [41] Likewise, 31.90% and 11.80% were confident that good hygiene and vaccines can prevent PCOS, respectively.…”

Section: Figure F How Frequently Was Each Treatment Methods Chosen?mentioning

confidence: 97%

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness among Females in the UAE: A Cross-Sectional Study

Zaitoun

Kubaisi

AlQattan

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder affecting females of reproductive age. Clinical guidelines recommend following the diagnostic criteria of PCOS based on an appropriate assessment of the patient’s clinical presentation. Sufficient awareness among the population will prompt females to seek medical attention when necessary. This study aimed to assess knowledge and awareness about PCOS among females above the age of 18 years in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to correlate the level of awareness with women's backgrounds, demographics, and education levels. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in early 2020. 430 females over the age of 18 years were conveniently selected and interviewed in the UAE using a 21-item questionnaire that assessed participants' awareness of PCOS as a term, its causes, symptoms, complications, treatment, and prevention. 414 entries were eligible for data analysis. IBM® SPSS® Statistics version 25 was used for data entry and analysis. Results: 349 participants (84.3%) were familiar with the term PCOS. However, only 21.7% of them had sufficient awareness of the syndrome (95% CI = 17.77-25.71%). Being knowledgeable of PCOS was significantly associated with having a previous diagnosis (p=0.002) and with studying or working in a medical field (p<0.001). In addition, females who knew someone diagnosed with PCOS were 5 times more likely to be more aware compared to those who didn’t (95% CI = 2.5-10.8; p<0.001). Age, education level, and nationality showed no correlation with the level of awareness. Conclusions: Overall, the level of PCOS awareness was insufficient in the study sample. Participants whose source of information was medical practitioners demonstrated more accurate knowledge. Accordingly, awareness of PCOS needs to be raised among females in the UAE, aiding early diagnosis and improving patient-oriented outcomes.

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“…The consumption of date palm fruit (DPF), commonly named dates, is a typical behavior among women from the Middle East during the final month of gestation [ 20 ]. In different traditional medicines, DPF is also highly recommended to be consumed by parturients and breastfeeding mothers [ 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is oral consumption of dates (Phoenix dactylifera L. fruit) in the peripartum period effective and safe integrative care to facilitate childbirth and improve perinatal outcomes: a comprehensive revised systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis

Salajegheh,

Nasiri,

Imanipour

et al. 2024

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Recent reviews have reported inconclusive results regarding the usefulness of consuming dates (Phoenix dactylifera L. fruit) in the peripartum period. Hence, this updated systematic review with meta-analysis sought to investigate the efficacy and safety of this integrated intervention in facilitating childbirth and improving perinatal outcomes. Methods Eight data sources were searched comprehensively from their inception until April 30, 2023. Parallel-group randomized and non-randomized controlled trials published in any language were included if conducted during peripartum (i.e., third trimester of pregnancy, late pregnancy, labor, or postpartum) to assess standard care plus oral consumption of dates versus standard care alone or combined with other alternative interventions. The Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias (RoB) assessment tools and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) were employed to evaluate the potential RoB and the overall quality of the evidence, respectively. Sufficient data were pooled by a random-effect approach utilizing Stata software. Results Of 2,460 records in the initial search, 48 studies reported in 55 publications were included. Data were insufficient for meta-analysis regarding fetal, neonatal, or infant outcomes; nonetheless, most outcomes were not substantially different between dates consumer and standard care groups. However, meta-analyses revealed that dates consumption in late pregnancy significantly shortened the length of gestation and labor, except for the second labor stage; declined the need for labor induction; accelerated spontaneity of delivery; raised cervical dilatation (CD) upon admission, Bishop score, and frequency of spontaneous vaginal delivery. The dates intake in labor also significantly reduced labor duration, except for the third labor stage, and increased CD two hours post-intervention. Moreover, the intervention during postpartum significantly boosted the breast milk quantity and reduced post-delivery hemorrhage. Likewise, dates supplementation in the third trimester of pregnancy significantly increased maternal hemoglobin levels. The overall evidence quality was also unacceptable, and RoB was high in most studies. Furthermore, the intervention’s safety was recorded only in four trials. Conclusion More well-designed investigations are required to robustly support consuming dates during peripartum as effective and safe integrated care. Trial registration PROSPERO Registration No: CRD42023399626

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The Use of Complementary Medicine During Childbearing Years: A Multi-Country Study of Women From the Middle East

Cited by 4 publications

References 53 publications

Polycystic ovarian syndrome awareness among females in the UAE: a cross-sectional study

Polycystic ovarian syndrome awareness among females in the UAE: a cross-sectional study

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness among Females in the UAE: A Cross-Sectional Study

Is oral consumption of dates (Phoenix dactylifera L. fruit) in the peripartum period effective and safe integrative care to facilitate childbirth and improve perinatal outcomes: a comprehensive revised systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis

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