Complementary and alternative medicine usage and its determinant factors among Iranian infertile couples.

J Complement Integr Med. 2018 Apr 4. pii: /j/jcim.ahead-of-print/jcim-2017-0138/jcim-2017-0138.xml. doi: 10.1515/jcim-2017-0138. [Epub ahead of print] Dehghan M1, Mokhtarabadi S2, Heidari FG3. Author information 1 Department of Nursing, Nursing Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. 2 Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. 3 Department of Nursing, Student Research Committee, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Abstract Background The aim of this study was to determine the status of utilizing some complementary and alternative medicine techniques in infertile couples. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 250 infertile couples referred to a hospital in Kerman using convenience sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to study the prevalence and user satisfaction of complementary and alternative medicines. Results Results indicated that 49.6% of the infertile couples used at least one of the complementary and alternative medicines during the past year. Most individuals used spiritual techniques (71.8% used praying and 70.2% used Nazr) and medicinal plants (54.8%). Safety is the most important factor affecting the satisfaction of infertile couples with complementary treatments (couples think that such treatments are safe (54.8%)). Discussion Concerning high prevalence of complementary and alternative treatments in infertile couples, incorporating such treatments into the healthcare education and promoting the awareness of infertile individuals seem crucial. KEYWORDS: complementary therapies; infertility; traditional medicine