Side effects of zobo drink in pregnancy including miscarriage

Side effects of zobo drink in pregnancy including miscarriage

Zobo drink is not safe in pregnancy and pregnant women as well as breastfeeding mothers should avoid it because of the following well listed out side effects in pregnancy.

Side effects of zobo drink in pregnancy

1. Low birth weight

It has been found that pregnant women who take a lot of zobo stand a risk of giving birth to children with low birth weight. The mechanism of how zobo reduce the weight of babies in the womb is not fully understood you know. It is generally believed that zobo reduce blood flow to the baby depriving it of essential nutrients during pregnancy….

Children born with low birth weight have problem surviving and most times will need to be placed in intensive care unit.

Here are the medical problems associated with low birth weight babies :

*Necrotizing enterocolitis (also called NEC). Necrotizing enterocolitis has 50% mortality rate.

*Retinopathy of prematurity which can lead to blindness.

*Intellectual disabilities

*Jaundice

*Bleeding in the brain

*Breathlessness due to lack of maturity of the lungs. Respiratory distress syndrome or hyaline membrane disease

*All sorts of infections due to the weak immune system associated with prematurity.

*Patent ductus arteriosus (also called PDA). Hole in the heart.

Pregnant women who are fund of drinking zobo in the third trimester with the aim of reducing their babies’ weight should be advised to stop.

2. Miscarriage ….can zobo cause miscarriage?

Can zobo drink induce labour…yes, zobo can induce premature labour and cause miscarriage leading to pregnancy loss…there is this belief that zobo can terminate early pregnancy. Preterm labour for pregnancies that have past 24 weeks will lead to premature birth which puts the baby at a higher risk of morbidity and mortality.

It is true that some pregnant women spot after taking zob which subsequently lead miscarriage if nothing is done.

3. Abortion.

Zobo drink can induce an abortion in pregnant women and lead to miscarriage and uncontrolled bleeding. It is not safe to drink zobo drink during pregnancy. Zobo can induce your uterus to contract uncontrollably to the extent that it will expel all its contents including the unborn baby. Many ladies in Africa and especially Nigeria uses the abortificient property of zobo OR hibiscus drink to carry out unsafe abortions.

4. Menstruation

Zobo drink can induce ovulation and menstruation in an already pregnant woman and this can lead to antepartum bleeding and pregnancy loss. Zobo is not safe in pregnancy.

5. Congenital Birth Defects

Drinking zobo during pregnancy puts your baby at a higher risk of congenital birth defects such as deformities. A birth defect is something visibly abnormal, internally abnormal, or chemically abnormal about your newborn baby’s body.

These are examples of birth defects: cleft lip or palate , when there’s an opening or split in the lip or roof of the mouth, spina bifida, when the spinal cord doesn’t develop properly, clubfoot, when the foot points inward instead of forward.

Zobo is however relatively safe in the third trimester compared to the first and second….I advise you to still avoid (white) zobo as it can induce labor leading to preterm birth….

Because of the the side effects listed here, zobo drink should not also be taken by breastfeeding mothers for the safety of the baby.

This article is the intellectual property of www.nimedhealth.com.ng