Labor Pain Solution: Use Of Laughing Gas Unhelpful For Pain, Study Finds Pregnant Women Still Ask For Epidural During Childbirth

The use of nitrous oxide, which is more popularly called as laughing gas, to manage labor pains during childbirth is found have little relief for pregnant women. A study reveals that even with the laughing gas, moms in labor still decide to get an epidural eventually.

The laughing gas is inhaled to supposedly ease anxiety and stress, which some pregnant women believe could work against labor pain. However, even in high amounts, laughing gas as an anesthetic is still weak, according to the American Pregnancy Association. The same pronouncement has been confirmed by a new study conducted by experts at California's Stanford University School of Medicine.

"We found that for the majority of patients, nitrous oxide does not prevent them from requesting an epidural," Dr. Caitlin Sutton, one of the study authors said, according to EurekAlert. The news comes as more and more pregnant women in the United States choose laughing gas to manage labor pain.

Use of laughing gas, however, is widely common in European countries and Australia. Pregnant women prefer this so that they remain alert and awake during childbirth, as opposed to being groggy and hazy because of the epidural.

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Some 4,698 records from an obstetric center in the U.S. was analyzed in the study, where at least 148 pregnant women opted for laughing gas to manage labor pain. The experts further looked into these women's demographics and the outcome of their choices.

The experts discovered that many of these women reported an eight on the pain threshold scale, with 10 as the highest pain score. Sixty percent of these women eventually asked for an epidural as the labor progressed.

Epidural is still the more popular choice among pregnant women in America at around 82 percent. But the experts note that laughing gas shouldn't be completely disregarded as a labor pain solution. However, further studies must be done to determine its actual benefits to pregnant women and which type of women it could best work for.

"Knowing which patients are more likely to convert from nitrous oxide to an epidural can help physician anesthesiologists offer more individualized counseling to patients when they are in labor," the study authors recommended. The findings of the study was revealed during the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) annual meeting last Monday, Oct. 24, UPI reported.