This study is to asses the use of herbal medicines in preparation for labor and its determinants among pregnant women attending Kiganda health centre IV. Background: Pregnancy related ailments and the need to have a vaginal birth usually result in some pregnant women self-medicating using over-the-counter (OTC) medications, seeking prescribed medications, or using herbs. Often, herbal medicines have been used as a complementary therapy, concurrent with pharmaceutical drugs rather than strictly as an alternative. One of the greatest obstetric risks of using herbal medicines in preparation for labor and/or inducing labor is precipitate delivery. Precipitate labour may result in complications such as extensive tearing of the birth canal leading to extensive bleeding after birth (post-partum haemorrhage), failure of the uterus to contract back to normal size. Sometimes uteral rapture occurs and if not detected early, the woman may bleed to death. Despite the effect of herbal medicines use in labor induction, use of traditional and complementary medicines for maternity related health complaints is very common. Although international estimates vary considerably, there appears to be increasing herbal medicines use in maternity with research from many regions showing that up to 87% of women are using some form of traditional and complementary therapies, with more conservative estimates ranging between 20 and 60. Method: A cross-sectional design was for this study that was done among pregnant women in their third trimester, receiving antenatal care services from Kiganda health center IV. Kiganda health center IV was purposively sampled. The pregnant women sampled using a random sampling method. This study used structured interviews and structured questionnaires. For data processing and analysis, SPSS version 20.0 was used. Results: The proportion of pregnant women at Kiganda health center IV who use herbal medicines in preparation for labour in Mubende district, is 42.9% (n = 81). Only one individual characteristic significantly influenced herbal medicine use in preparation for labour among pregnant women at Kiganda health center IV – Mubende district. It is the history of use of herbal medicine in any previous pregnancies (x2 = 11.295, 0.001). Two socio demographic characteristics of the pregnant women had a significant association with herbal medicine use in preparation for labour among pregnant women at Kiganda health center IV. They included; Residence of the pregnant woman (x2 = 5.152, P = 0.023), and reception of any formal education (x2 = 4.101, p = 0.043). Conclusion: The proportion of pregnant women at Kiganda health center IV who use herbal medicines in preparation for labor in Mubende district, is 42.9%, implying that about 4 out of every 10 pregnant women who seek Antenatal care services from Kiganda health center IV in Mubende district use herbal medicine in preparation for labor. Herbal medicine use in preparation for labour among pregnant women at Kiganda health center IV – Mubende district is determined by only the history of use of herbal medicine in any previous pregnancies, residence and education of a pregnant woman Recommendations: Health care service providers working in the Antenatal department of Kiganda health center are urged to conduct routine screening exercises meant to identify multigravida women, with an aim of finding out which of them has ever used herbal medicines in their previous pregnancies. Secondly, as part of the focused antenatal care health education sessions, the administration of Kiganda health center IV should incorporate and/or strengthen the content of herbal medicine use during pregnancy, including its effects on the fetus.

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