Oral Paracetamol versus Oral Paracetamol with Codeine as Intrapartum Analgesic in the First Stage of Labor: Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

abor pain includes components that differ completely from pain in general. It is the result of natural events and has a special meaning, leading in most cases to something extremely positive, the birth of a healthy child. Labor is a painful condition, considered to be one of the most intense and stressful experiences especially for nulliparous women. Although studies have found significant rise in pain threshold during labor. It is nonetheless an important goal to provide safe and effective methods of analgesia for women in a pain in order, amongst other reasons, to obtain her maximum cooperation. The most effective non-invasive pharmacological intervention is through the use of opioids or tramadol injection through an epidural catheter. Other effective interventions include combined spinal/epidural analgesia, low-dose epidural analgesia, as well as, patient controlled analgesia. Those pharmacological techniques despite being effective yet require participation of an expert anesthesiologist, costly equipment and continuous maternal and fetal electronic monitoring tools, which are not readily available in all obstetric units, particularly in developing countries.