Best time for epidural is when laboring mom asks for it, research reveals

Best time for epidural is when laboring mom asks for it, research reveals

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SALT LAKE CITY — Doctors of the world, listen up. The best time for a woman to receive an epidural during labor is when she says so.

That’s according to new research out of Singapore, published last week by the Cochrane Library. Researchers teamed up to find out whether women who received an epidural early in labor saw an increased need for C-section or other potentially risky scenarios, like the use of forceps or suction for delivery. They also looked for a correlation between an early epidural and the length of overall labor.

To find the answers they wanted, the research team reviewed nine clinical trials involving more than 15,700 women. Each mom-to-be received a random epidural assignment. Some were given the epidural early in labor — before the woman’s cervix was dilated to at least 4 to 5 centimeters — while the others got the pain-relieving drugs at a later stage.

After the drugs were in, researchers took note of the effects from start to finish.

The findings — drumroll please — revealed something that will likely have a multitude of moms shouting for joy. In short, asking for an epidural the minute you realize you’re in labor won’t mean you’ll absolutely need a C-section, nor will it necessarily result in a prolonged labor or pushing phase. In fact, the timing of an epidural has no clinical significance.


The takeaway message is that when women experience labor pain, and they choose to have early epidural pain relief, they [should] be reassured that this does not have any adverse effects to their labor outcomes.

–Dr. Ban Leong Sng, lead study author


“The right time to give the epidural is when the woman requests pain relief,” said Dr. Ban Leong Sng, lead researcher on the study and deputy head of the Department of Women’s Anesthesia at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore. “If they request an epidural early during their labor, the evidence we have does not provide a compelling reason why this should be refused.”

There was essentially no difference in outcome between the two groups, dispelling previous beliefs that waiting for an epidural is safer for both mother and child, researchers said. When it comes to an epidural, the mother should be in the driver’s seat. Trust your instincts and get the relief you need, when you need it.

“The takeaway message is that when women experience labor pain, and they choose to have early epidural pain relief, they [should] be reassured that this does not have any adverse effects to their labor outcomes,” Leong said.

The researchers behind the review were motivated by a desire to empower mothers with information that could help guide their birth experience. They threw their support behind the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, which encourages doctors to listen to the birthing mother when it comes to administering an epidural.

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“We all hold a keen interest in enabling women to make informed choices,” Leong told Today Parents.

Even more good news for women seeking a medicated birth: A study released Tuesday looked at more than 80,000 women who received epidural or spinal anesthesia during labor. Researchers found a less than 3 percent overall complication rate, suggesting that the risk of anesthesia during childbirth is extremely low.

Epidurals are the most common form of pain relief used during childbirth in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 61 percent of women who give birth to a single baby vaginally have some form of spinal anesthesia. Jessica Ivins is a content manager for KSL.com and contributor to the Motherhood Matters section.

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