Mothers who have epidurals in childbirth have 35 per cent lower risk of potentially life-threatening complications, study finds Researchers studied 567,216 women who were in labour in Scottish hospitals READ MORE: The harrowing reality of giving birth in NHS hospitals revealed By Kate Pickles Health Editor For The Daily Mail Published: 18:30 EDT, 22 May 2024 | Updated: 01:06 EDT, 25 May 2024 e-mail View comments Epidurals can reduce the risk of serious complications for mothers during childbirth, a study of more than half a million Britons found. Those who had the pain relief had a smaller chance suffering everything from sepsis and heart attacks during and in the weeks following labour . Making epidurals more available during labour could help to reverse the growing trend of maternal death and injury in the UK, the findings suggest.
Researchers studied 567,216 women who were in labour in Scottish NHS hospitals from 2007 and 2019, who gave birth vaginally or by an unplanned caesarean section. Of these, 125,024 women had an epidural, which is administered through an anaesthetic injection in the back to block pain. Those who had the pain relief had a smaller chance suffering everything from sepsis and heart attacks during and in the weeks following labour.
Making epidurals more available during labour could help to reverse the growing trend of maternal death and injury in the UK, the findings suggest Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. .
