Evidence Library › Labor pain and epidurals › Pain relief
Evidence Library · Pain relief
What labor pain is actually like
Most American women choose an epidural, and that number is rising.
In 2024, 75.4% of American women having a vaginal birth used epidural or spinal anesthesia. This matters for a cesarean because an epidural already in place is usually topped up rather than replaced, and that route carries a far higher rate of pain during the operation.
Where this comes from
- Valenzuela CP, Osterman MJK. Epidural or spinal anesthesia use for singleton vaginal deliveries: United States, 2016-2024. NCHS Data Brief no 553. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2026.
Covered in the class
3Module 3. Labor pain, and what actually relieves itWhat labor pain is like, the options in American hospitals, and how well each one works.Continue
Read this inside the full program, with the questions to take to your next visit and a record of what you have covered.
Obstetric Anesthesia Preparedness →More from Pain relief
How American women manage labor painThree quarters use an epidural, and the gap by insurance is not about pain.
The other optionsNitrous oxide, opioids, water, movement, and nothing.
Nitrous oxide and intravenous opioidsBoth are options. Both relieve less pain than an epidural.
If you are hoping to avoid an epiduralIn the one study that followed the intention through, 57% of women who hoped to avoid an epidural had one, and 91% of those who planned one got it.
This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you.