ABSTRACT :
Purpose: To examine over-the -counter pain medication use in pregnancy.
Study Design and Methods: Secondary analysis of a weighted surveillance survey using the 2019 Iowa Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data. A sample of 759 pregnant women of childbearing age from Iowa was weighted to represent 31, 728 Iowa mothers. The weighted sample represents 80% non-Hispanic White mothers, with smaller precentages of HIspanic Balck(7% ) mothers, consistent with the population of Iowa. Approximately two-thirds of women had commercial insurance (66%), some college or greated education (62%), and were from urban areas (59%).
Analysis : Descriptive statistics were calculated.Variables include over-the-counter pain relievers usage among all respondents and by race/ethnicity and education level.
Results: Seventy-six percent of women reported taking over-the counter pain reliever during pregnancy. Of these 71% reported taking acetaminophen, 11% reported taking ibuprofen, 8% aspirin, and 3% naproxen. Nearly 80% of non-Hispanic white mothers with an over-the -counter pain reliever during pregnancy compared to just 64% of mothers reported as Hispanic.Iowa mothers with college education or greater were more likely to report over-the -counter pain reliever use during pregnancy (84%) than their counterparts with a high school education or less (64%) .
Clinical Implications: Some medications may cause harm to the fetus if taken at specific time during pregnancy. Reinforcement of current pain medication education, including risks to fetus throughout pregnancy may be needed .