Medication use in the postpartum period in Slovenia with regard to breastfeeding

• Main Authors: Maja Krajec, Neva Natek, Ksenija Geršak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Slovenian Medical Association 2016-11-01
• Series: Zdravniški Vestnik
• Subjects: drugs, postpartum period, breastfeeding, folic acid, vitamins
• Online Access: http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/1530
• ISSN: 1318-0347; 1581-0224

<p><strong>Background: </strong>To date there are no known data about the use and administration of medicine in the postpartum period in Slovenia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included 1,070 women after they gave birth in a prospective cross-sectional study while they were routinely admitted to the Maternal and Neonatal Unit of the Department of Perinatology at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana’s, from October 2011 to February 2012. Data were collected through written questionnaires and finally statistically analysed. The same questionnaires were given at time points of  3, 6, and 12 months after giving birth.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Three days after giving birth 96.5% of women were breastfeeding fully or partially. The most commonly used medications during this period were analgetics, laxatives and iron supplements. In the period of up to 3 months after giving birth, 84.0% of women were breastfeeding fully or partially, whereas the number decreased to 72.4% in the period from 3 to 6 months after giving birth. Analgetics, vitamins and/or minerals and folic acid supplements were the most used medications in both periods. From 6 to 12 months after giving birth 51.5% of women were breastfeeding. Vaginally administered antimycotics were most commonly used medicines in this time period in addition to analgetics, vitamins and/or mineral supplements.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> No significant difference could be determined in the frequency of medicine use in all three time periods after giving birth between both groups of breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding mothers. Moreover, no difference could be observed in the frequency of medicine use between the fully and partially breastfeeding mothers. This study has also shown that the most frequent used medicinal substances were folic acid, vitamins and/or minerals, analgetics, and antimycotics in the form of vaginal tablets.</p>