Abstract
INTRODUCTION: -Epidurals and spinal anesthesia are used to treat pain during labor. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pain relief be administered to laboring women upon request. Studies have found that women who received no pain treatment experienced increased pain and were more likely to have a cesarean delivery compared with those who received an epidural. Objectives-This report shows trends of epidural or spinal anesthesia use for singleton vaginal deliveries from 2016 to 2024 and changes by selected maternal characteristics. METHODS: -This report uses data from the natality data file from the National Vital Statistics System to examine epidural or spinal anesthesia use for singleton births in vaginal deliveries. Differences between rates noted in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level unless otherwise noted. KEY FINDINGS: -From 2016 to 2024, the percentage of mothers having a singleton vaginal birth who used epidural or spinal anesthesia for pain relief during labor increased 8%, from 69.8% to 75.4%. Increases in the use of epidural or spinal anesthesia occurred across all maternal age groups (ranging from 7% to 12%) and all race and Hispanic-origin groups (ranging from 5% to 17%). The percentage of mothers who used epidural or spinal anesthesia increased among those covered by Medicaid, private insurance, and other sources of payment but decreased among mothers who self-paid for their deliveries. Epidural or spinal anesthesia use increased in 44 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 2 states, and was essentially unchanged in 4 states from 2016 to 2024.