Estimating the Prevalence of Prescribed Medication Use in Pregnancy with a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Medication use in pregnancy is common, but decisions balancing the needs of maternal and fetal health can be complex. Ongoing monitoring of medication use in pregnancy is essential to ensure their continued safe and appropriate use in this population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to estimate the prevalence of prescribed medication use in pregnancy. METHODS: were used to measure heterogeneity. RESULTS: = 1.25) both from 10 studies, respectively. Methods used to estimate prevalence varied greatly owing to differences in the definition of prescribed medications, the measured exposure period, and the pregnancy outcomes included. CONCLUSIONS: From this review, it was evident that a large proportion of women use prescribed medications during pregnancy, but estimates vary greatly. A more standardized approach to studying medication use in pregnancy is needed to allow for consistent and standardised estimates that are comparable across populations.