How American women manage labor pain
Three quarters use an epidural, and the gap by insurance is not about pain.
In 2024, 75.4% of American women having a single baby vaginally used epidural or spinal anesthesia, up from 69.8% in 2016.
80.5%
With private insurance
National vital statistics
73.8%
With Medicaid
National vital statistics
41.2%
Paying out of pocket
National vital statistics
A gap that large between insured and self-paying women is not a difference in how much labor hurts.
Where this comes from:
194. 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 essential classes
Continue
More from Labor
This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.