What Are The Pros And Cons Of Epidural You Must Know About

Giving birth is the most intense and painful experience for a woman, with or without an epidural. Labor and delivery can involve hours of pain from powerful uterine contractions. That’s why maternal pain management has become necessary for obstetric practice. In recent years the epidural has become the predominant method of pain relief that a doctor can administer during labor and other medical procedures. Epidural also has pros and cons like all other medications and procedures.

How Effective Are Epidurals?

Epidurals are very effective in relieving pain better than other medications. According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, an epidural that is used to lessen the pain between a woman’s belly button and upper legs will take its effect after 15 minutes. An epidermal works as a nerve blocker. An anesthetic doctor can give an epidural for many reasons, including pain relief during labor back pain. Most women who take epidural during labor feel little or no pain. About 1 out of 100 women need additional painkillers after taking an epidural during labor for pain relief.

Best Time To Get Epidural During Labor

The best time to give an epidural during labor is when a women ask for it. The shot is given between contractions, and it gets more complex as labor progress. It is good to give epidural relatively early in the labor process. Sometimes your doctor may recommend an epidural even if you plan to deliver without one. Or maybe you’ll suddenly decide you want one, and that’s fine. An epidural does not take away all the pain, and a woman will still feel some pressure.

Other epidural benefits during labor include:

• It is typically safe and effective.
• It allows a woman to remain awake during cesarean delivery.
• Women still have control of their upper bodies.

Side Effects And Risks Of Epidural

Epidurals can also cause numbness in the legs. It might make a hole in the protective layers around the spinal cord if the injection goes too deep, spinal fluid might leak out. If too much fluid is lost, severe headaches can last for a few days or up to a week. The risks for the mother are more serious, but they’re generally rare. Women who had an epidural during labor were less likely to have headaches than women who used other forms of pain relief.

Some epidural side effects after birth for a woman may include:

• Sore back
• Headache and fever
• Numbness in the lower body after labor
• Low blood pressure
• Problem in urination

Serious side effects are less common, including spinal injury, breathing problems, a racing heart, and numbness.

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An epidural during labor may have separate side effects such as:

• Itching and skin infection.
• Weakness in the legs.
• Increased risk of needing the help of forceps or a vacuum.
• Few people also get permanent nerve damage, but this is rare.
• The epidural opioids can lead to short-term side effects in the fetus, such as reduced muscle tone, a change in heart rate, drowsiness, breathing problems.

Pros And Cons Of Epidural For Back Pain

Some women worried that an epidural would cause back pain since the injection is given in the back. At the same time, it may cause temporary soreness at the injection site. People are suffering from low back pain, getting an epidural steroid injection for immediate pain relief.

Pros

Epidural injection for back pain may have some of the following benefits, including:

• It effectively reduces pain; people who had an epidural for sciatica noted a 50–83% improvement in pain.
• It decreases surgical intervention. About 80% of people did not need surgery after receiving an epidural injection.
• It decreases functional disability. An epidural may aid those with a long-term disability due to an injury, illness, or condition.

Cons

Epidural steroid injections may have some drawbacks for the patient.

• A misplaced needle can disturb the already inflamed spinal nerves.
• The medication can infect the brain spinal cord.
• If not administered properly, it can damage the arteries and cause bleeding, leading to a blood clot.
• Some patients experience low blood pressure and heart rate.
• It results in bleeding, nerve damage, ulcers, dural puncture, high blood sugar levels, or cataracts.

Conclusion

An epidural is safe for pain relief during labor and reduces back pain. However, its risks are temporary or very rare. Pregnant women should talk to their doctor about the type of pain relief they require during labor.

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