Association of Labor Epidural Analgesia with Neonatal Umbilical Arterial Blood pH and Apgar Score: The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Labor epidural analgesia is recognized worldwide as the gold standard for maternal pain relief during delivery and has been increasingly used in Japan. However, studies on labor analgesia in Japan are scarce, and evaluation of neonatal outcomes associated with this procedure remains limited. Among the key aspects in the safety evaluation of labor epidural analgesia are the potential effects on neonatal umbilical arterial blood pH (UmA-pH) and Apgar score. Therefore, we determined whether labor epidural analgesia during vaginal delivery is associated with neonatal UmA-pH and Apgar score among women delivering in Japan.

Methods

In this birth cohort study, we prospectively analyzed data collected from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS). We included Jap

SUBMITTER: Suto M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12910225 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature