Association of Epidural Analgesia in Women in Labor With Neonatal and Childhood Outcomes in a Population Cohort

Key Points Question Is the use of epidural analgesia during labor associated with adverse neonatal and childhood outcomes? Findings In this population-based cohort study of 435 281 mother-offspring pairs, the use of epidural analgesia in labor was not associated with adverse neonatal outcomes after adjustment for confounders and mediation by mode of delivery. Epidural analgesia was, however, associated with a small reduction in some adverse developmental outcomes at 2 years. Meaning In this study, epidural analgesia in labor was not associated with adverse immediate or longer-term offspring outcomes.