The Effect of Epidural Analgesia on Maternal and Neonatal Birth Outcomes: A Retrospective Analysis of 129 Cases
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to compare maternal and neonatal birth outcomes in pregnant women who re-ceived epidural anesthesia during labor and those who did not.
Methods: The study included 129 term pregnant women. The women were divided into two groups based on whether they received epidural anesthesia (Epidural group: n=57, Control group: n=72). Demographic characteristics, delivery times, maternal outcomes (mode of delivery, episiotomy, hemoglobin decrease), and neonatal outcomes such as birth weight, APGAR scores, and neonatal intensive care requirements were retrospectively evaluated.
Results: No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of age (24.40±5.09 vs 25.61±5.68, p>0.05) and gestational age (38.65±1.40 vs 38.69±1.47, p>0.05). The second stage of labor was significantly longer in the epidural anesthesia group (38.18±25.50 min vs 24.27±13.50 min, p=0.001). The episiotomy rate was higher in the epidural anes-thesia group (61.4% vs. 51.4%). Birth weight (3230.73±438.89 g vs. 3208.60±384.86 g), 1-minute APGAR score (8.40±0.74 vs 8.43±0.65), and 5-minute APGAR score (9.47±0.66 vs 9.44±0.65). Hemoglobin decrease was similar in both groups (1.44±0.97 g/dL vs 1.41±0.81 g/dL).
Conclusions: Epidural anesthesia prolongs the second stage of labor and was not independently associated with in-creased episiotomy rates. However, it has no adverse effect on neonatal outcomes and is safe in terms of maternal bleed-ing. Epidural anesthesia can be used as an effective and safe option for labor pain management.
Keywords
Epidural analgesia, Cesarean delivery, Second stage of labor, Labor duration
Supporting Institution
No financial support was received for this study.
Ethical Statement
This retrospective cohort study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Non-Interventional Ethics Committee of Gaziantep City Hospital (Decision No: 285/2025, Date: 17.09.2025). Due to the retrospective nature of the study, informed consent was waived by the ethics committee.
Thanks
The authors would like to thank the medical staff at Gaziantep City Hospital for their assistance in data collection and patient care.
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