The register of clinical trials maintained and updated by the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group. All attempts to conduct randomised controlled trials comparing epidural analgesia with alternative forms of pain relief in labour have been considered. Trials with random allocation and usable outcome measurements have been included. Unpublished data and other information have been obtained from the authors where necessary.
Epidural analgesia is an effective method of pain relief during labour.
Further research is needed to define the adverse effects more accurately, particularly potential long-term adverse effects, and to evaluate different regional analgesia techniques.