Intrathecal Analgesia Versus Non-analgesia in Labor on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes

Aims: Spinal analgesia is the most common method that provides pain relief during labor and controversy exists about its effect on the maternal and fetal among the women. This study was conducted to determine the effect of intrathecal analgesia (ITA) on perineal laceration, duration of the first, second, and third stage of labor, and Apgar score. Materials & Methods: Fifty primipara parturients with gestational age &ge;37 weeks, in the active phase with cervical dilation of 3-4 cm participated in this randomized clinical trial study. Any participant with contraindication for vaginal delivery or spinal analgesia, the use of sedative drugs, and fetal malpresentation was excluded from the study. Based on whether they consented to ITA or Non-ITA parturients, they were divided to the ITA (n=25) and non-ITA (25) groups. The duration of the first, second, and third stage of labor, perineal laceration, birth weight, and Apgar scores were recorded and compared. Results: Duration of the first stage of labor was significantly higher in the ITA (7.34&plusmn;4.27) parturients compared to the non-ITA (5.52&plusmn;2.1) group (p<0.039). There was no significant difference in the duration of third stage of labor between two groups (p>0.321). The number of Perineal laceration increased significantly in the ITA group compared to the non-ITA parturients (p=0.001). Neonatal outcomes demonstrated that there was no statistical significant difference in the first and fifth minute Apgar scores between 2 groups. Conclusion: Intrathecal analgesia can provide effective analgesia for labouring patients, but prolong the first and second stage of labor.