Use of this drug during labour could reduce the amount of women needing epidurals

You can never predict how your labour will go.

No matter what your birth plan is, it could change at the last minute. Pain relief plays a big role during child birth. The three main options of remedy include epidural anaesthesia, nitrous oxide and pethidine. Epidurals are the most common but they can often lead to a vacuum delivery which can create problems for mums down the line. But a recent study has revealed that a lesser known drug could be more effective for women in labour. Researchers have found that expectant mamas who were given remifentanil during labour were less likely to ask for an epidural than those who were given pethidine. 400 women took part in this study conducted by Universities of Birmingham, Sheffield and Nottingham. One half of them were given pethidine while the other half were given remifentanil. They could all request an epidural at any time after they were given the drug. 41 percent of those who were given pethidine went on to have an epidural, while only 19 percent of those who were given remifentanil had the same injection. The findings that were published on The Lancet also found that the women in the latter group did not rate their pain as highly as the women in the first group. However, those in the remifentanil circle were twice as likely to need additional oxygen because they had low levels of it. In a post published on the University of Birmingham's website, Chief Investigator of the study Dr Matthew Wilson said:

"Our study has shown that remifentanil PCA is safe when given under correct supervision."

Researchers hope the national clinical guidelines will soon change to support the use of the drug during labour.