Information for Patients

Keeping You and Your Baby Safe and Comfortable Before, During, and After Delivery

As the voice of obstetric anesthesiologists, the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) provides trustworthy, high-quality answers to all your questions about managing pain before, during, and after delivery. Our information has been written and reviewed by experts in caring for pregnant patients throughout the delivery period. 

Our newest resources include SOAP informational brochures and flyers to help answer questions about your delivery and anesthesia care. Click on the titles below to download the information. 

 News 

Labor Epidurals Do Not Cause Autism; Safe for Mothers and Infants  

Updated July 27th 2023: SOAP continues to affirm that epidurals are safe for mothers and infants and do not cause autism. We encourage their use for pain management during labor and delivery and emphasize their important impact on the safety of both mothers and their children.

Added October 1, 2021:  Findings from 2 new population-based studies in JAMA do not provide supportive evidence for an association between epidural labor analgesia and autism spectrum disorder in children.   

• Mikkelsen AP, Greiber IK, Scheller NM, Lidegaard Ø. Association of Labor Epidural Analgesia With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children. JAMA. 2021;326(12):1170–1177. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.12655
• Hanley GE, Bickford C, Ip A, et al. Association of Epidural Analgesia During Labor and Delivery With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Offspring. JAMA. 2021;326(12):1178–1185. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.14986
• Editorial Comment:  Wong CA, Stevens H. Labor Epidural Analgesia and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Is There an Association? JAMA. 2021;326(12):1155–1157. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.15369 

Added April 21, 2021: SOAP was gratified to receive notification from SOAP members Dr. Brian Bateman and Dr. Alex Butwick that additional research on this critical issue has been published in JAMA Pediatrics. The findings of these comprehensive research studies, published April 19, 2021, found no association between autism and labor epidurals for pain relief. This reinforces our previous statement that labor epidurals are safe. Here are links to the e-published research studies: 

• JAMA Pediatrics Article: Association of Epidural Labor Analgesia With Offspring Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Epidural Analgesia and Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk—The Challenges Inherent in Complex Observational Research
• Editor's Note: More on Epidurals and Autism 

In October 2020, SOAP reassured pregnant women that the article “Association Between Epidural Analgesia During Labor and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Offspring,” a retrospective database study published in JAMA Pediatrics on October 12, 2020, did not provide credible scientific evidence that labor epidurals for pain relief cause autism. SOAP jointly released a statement with the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Society for Pediatric Anesthesia, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and provided the following resources. 

• Joint Statement (PDF)
• SOAP Town Hall Meeting (Video)
• Infographic in English (PDF)
• Ver Infografía Aquí (PDF) 

NEW: Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean Delivery (ERAC) Information for Patients

Download the infographic (PDF)

Preparing For Your Delivery: When do you need to talk to an Anesthesia Provider?

Download infographic (PDF)

I Had an Epidural That Didn't Work

   

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Download One Page Flyer (PDF)

 Headache After Childbirth After an Epidural or Spinal 

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Nitrous Oxide for Labor Pain

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Information About Labor Epidurals: Your Questions Answered

     
Download the Full brochure (PDF) 
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Download a 1-page flyer with QR code to full brochure

Information about Anesthesia for your Cesarean Delivery: Your Questions Answered

  

Download the full brochure (PDF) - English
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Download the 1-page flyer with QR code to access the full brochure (PDF)

Your Questions Answered: Alternatives to Epidural Pain Relief for Labor
 

Download the infographic (PDF)
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Helpful Links

The safehealthcareforeverywoman website provides additional helpful resources. SOAP is proud to be a supporting organization of the Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care.

Videos 

Pain Management During Childbirth (external link, YouTube)
by Catherine Tsai, MD; Devon Smith, MD; and Mark Rollins, MD, PhD
This multi-part video explains the basics of delivery pain relief, including non-medical interventions, IV pain medicines, Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas or gas in air), and epidurals. 

The Gentle C (external link, YouTube)
SOAP member and past president Bill Camann, MD, discusses the Gentle Cesarean.

The educational materials presented here are the individual authors' opinions and not medical advice, are not intended to set out a legal standard of care, and do not replace medical care or the judgment of the responsible medical professional in light of all the circumstances presented by an individual patient. The materials are not intended to ensure a successful patient outcome in every situation and are not a guarantee of any specific outcome. Materials are subject to periodic revision as additional data becomes available. Opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of SOAP or any of its members, employees, or agents.