Wide variation in use of pain relievers during labor across US

(JAMA Network) Pain relief for pregnant women in labor is commonly given in the form of epidural, spinal or combined spinal-epidural blockade, which is collectively referred to as neuraxial analgesia. This study used birth certificate data and found wide variation in neuraxial analgesia use across the United States. Among 2.6 million pregnant women who underwent labor in 2015, neuraxial analgesia was used by 73 percent, with the lowest frequency in Maine and the highest in Nevada.