Prescription drug use and medicine taking behaviour in pregnancy

Frequently in clinical practice, treatment regimens do not bring the expected results. In some of these cases, the underlying reason is non-adherence, which affects up to 50% of patients. It is well known that non-adherence can pose serious health risk; in pregnancy this risk extends not only to the mother but also to the fetus. However, little is known about the medicine-taking behaviour of pregnant women and thus little can be done to target at-risk groups. Clinical practice should be tailored to encourage adherence and optimize the efficacy of treatment plans, so as to effectively manage patients.