Estimating the Prevalence of Prescribed Medication Use in Pregnancy with a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Abstract
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: This review was carried out in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42024533866). PubMed, Medline, Cinahl (EBSCO), APA PsychINFO (EBSCO), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched for relevant articles published from January 2010 to May 2025. Inclusion criteria specified that studies provided a value for prescribed medication use in the general population of pregnant women during part or all of the gestational period. Articles were independently dual screened, and relevant data were extracted and validated from included studies. Quality and bias of the studies were assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool for prevalence studies. A narrative synthesis was conducted for all studies. A random-effects meta-analysis with logit transformation was used to pool prevalence estimates (95% confidence interval, CI) where sufficient studies defined medication use in a similar way. Cochran's Q, I2, and τ2 were used to measure…
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