Background: The extent of herbal medicine use in pregnancy has been widely researched throughout the world but little research has been published about the motivations for this use.
Methods: Focus group discussion. Women who participated in a survey at an antenatal clinic were asked to participate in a focus group discussion to elaborate further on some of the results from the survey. Six women participated.
Results: The major themes identified were: the "underground" nature of taking herbal remedies, reliance on family and friends for information, perceived safety of herbal remedies whilst acknowledging the lack of trial evidence and a desire for the NHS to be more open minded.
Conclusion: Herbal medicines are pharmacologically active and pregnant women frequently take these without informing their pregnancy care provider. If doctors want to obtain a full medical picture which includes herb use then non-judgemental responses to such behaviour is required.