According to new research published in JAMA Network Open, use of neuraxial analgesia for vaginal delivery is tied to a 14% reduced risk for severe maternal morbidity, partly from a decrease in postpartum hemorrhage.

Researchers evaluated the association between labor neuraxial analgesia and severe maternal morbidity in the United States in over 575,000 vaginal deliveries in New York hospitals from 2010 through 2017. Around 47.4% of the women received epidurals during labor. Researchers assessed severe maternal morbidity, including 16 complications, like heart failure and sepsis, and five procedures, including hysterectomy and ventilation. Severe maternal morbidity was evident in 1.3% of the women. Among 7712 women with severe morbidity, 35.6% had postpartum hemorrhage. Incidence of severe maternal morbidity was 1.3% among women who were given an epidural injection and 1.4% in those who did not receive an epidural. A weighted analysis revealed that the adjusted odds ratio of severe maternal morbidity associated with epidurals was 0.86… (Medscape)