NEWS.com.au | Drugs give women no relief (April 12, 2004)
By Sue Dunlevy
April 12, 2004
news.com.au
"PETHIDINE, one of the most widely used painkillers in childbirth, does little to reduce the pain of labour and may hinder early breastfeeding. A review of studies of the effectiveness of the drug has found it sedates women enduring the agony of childbirth, rather than relieving their pain. A Thai study in 2002 found only 23.8 per cent of women claimed pethidine provided effective pain relief in labour, according to an article in Australian Prescriber."