Epidural analgesia effectively relieved labor pain in all primigravid parturients who chose it, without increasing the occurrence of cesarean section or assisted vaginal delivery.

A prospective, comparative, non-randomized study was carried out to examine effects of epidural analgesia on labor pain alleviation, outcome and progress in primigravid parturients versus those who did not get any analgesia.

This quasi-experimental, hospital-based research included 70 primigravid parturients in labor with a cephalic presentation of single fetus. Parturients who agreed to undergo epidural analgesia were assigned to group S (n=35), whereas those who refused were assigned to group C (n=35). Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score was used to record pain relief. Labor time, method of delivery, and neonatal outcome were also calculated.

When compared to group C, pain intensity was reduced in group S at all estimated time points. With the bolus dosage, the mean VAS in group S declined from 7.94 to 3.86 in 20 minutes and then to 1.03 after 3 hours. Furthermore, 88.6 percent of parturients in groups reported good satisfaction scores and graded their pain reduction as excellent.

The active phase of the 1st stage of labor (more than 6 hours) was not substantially extended. However, prolongation of second stage of labor (more than 2 hours) was clinically meaningful, as shown in Table 1:

Both groups had identical rates of cesarean section, instrumental vaginal birth, and neonatal outcome. No adverse events were recorded on maternal vitals, Apgar score at 5 min, and heart rate of fetus. In medical care facilities, epidural analgesia can be enforced as an effective and safe way of pain management during labor.

Pregnant primigravids who chose epidural treatment experienced an excellent and quick reduction in labor pain. The duration of initial stage of labor was not modified, while the duration of second stage of labor was marginally extended.