Ferhat ASLAN, Elif EYGİ, Selcan SINACI, Aslıhan KURT, Zekeriya BALIK
Archives of Current Medical Research - 2026;7(2):374-380
Background: The aim of this study was to compare maternal and neonatal birth outcomes in pregnant women who received epidural anesthesia during labor and those who did not. Methods: The study included 129 term pregnant women. The women were divided into two groups based on whether they received epidural anesthesia (Epidural group: n=57, Control group: n=72). Demographic characteristics, delivery times, maternal outcomes (mode of delivery, episiotomy, hemoglobin decrease), and neonatal outcomes such as birth weight, APGAR scores, and neonatal intensive care requirements were retrospectively evaluated. Results: No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of age (24.40+/-5.09 vs 25.61+/-5.68, p>0.05) and gestational age (38.65+/-1.40 vs 38.69+/-1.47, p>0.05). The second stage of labor was significantly longer in the epidural anesthesia group (38.18+/-25.50 min vs 24.27+/-13.50 min, p=0.001). The episiotomy rate was higher in the epidural anesthesia group (61.4% vs. 51.4%). Birth weight (3230.73+/-438.89 g vs. 3208.60+/-384.86 g), 1-minute APGAR score (8.40+/-0.74 vs 8.43+/-0.65), and 5-minute APGAR score (9.47+/-0.66 vs 9.44+/-0.65). Hemoglobin decrease was similar in both groups (1.44+/-0.97 g/dL vs 1.41+/-0.81 g/dL). Conclusions: Epidural anesthesia prolongs the second stage of labor and was not independently associated with increased episiotomy rates. However, it has no adverse effect on neonatal outcomes and is safe in terms of maternal bleeding. Epidural anesthesia can be used as an effective and safe option for labor pain management.
