Epidurals can reduce the risk of serious birth-related complications for mothers by more than a third, according to a study.
Women who received the pain-relieving injection were much less likely to suffer conditions such as sepsis and heart attacks during childbirth and in the weeks following.
The findings suggest that making epidurals more available could help reverse a growing trend of deaths and injuries in maternity wards in the UK.
Researchers studied 567,216 women in labor in NHS hospitals in Scotland between 2007 and 2019, who gave birth vaginally or by unplanned caesarean section. Of those, 125,024 received an epidural (an anesthetic injection into the back).
The study, led by the universities of Glasgow and Bristol, found that receiving the vaccine reduced the risk of life-threatening illnesses by 35 per cent.
Epidural can reduce mothers’ risk of serious birth-related complications by more than a third, study finds
The findings suggest that making epidurals more available could help reverse a growing trend of deaths and injuries in maternity wards in the UK.
They were also more effective in women who went into labor prematurely or who had pre-existing medical or obstetric conditions.
Lead author Professor Rachel Kearns, from the University of Glasgow, said: “This underlines the need to ensure access to epidurals, particularly for those who are most vulnerable: women who face higher medical risks or who give birth prematurely. “.
“By expanding access and improving awareness, we can ensure safer birth experiences.”
The study, published in the BMJ, comes a week after a parliamentary inquiry found that maternity services needed a radical shake-up and a study earlier this year showed that deaths during childbirth were at the same rate as two years ago. decades.
