Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Jun 12;19(12):7202.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19127202.

Is There an Association between the Use of Epidural Analgesia during Labor and the Development of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Offspring?-A Review of the Literature

Joanna Weronika Król  1 , Paweł Jan Stanirowski  1 , Natalia Mazanowska  1 , Agata Majewska  1 , Mirosław Wielgoś  1 , Dorota Bomba-Opoń  1
Affiliations
Review

Is There an Association between the Use of Epidural Analgesia during Labor and the Development of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Offspring?-A Review of the Literature

Joanna Weronika Król et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are multifactorial and complex neurodevelopmental conditions usually diagnosed in the early childhood. The etiology of ASDs is commonly described as a genetic predisposition combined with an environmental impact. As a result of broadening of the diagnostic criteria the prevalence of ASDs has been increasing worldwide and the search for the modifiable factors is still on-going. Epidural analgesia (ELA) provides effective pain relief during labor and is currently the most preferred method of anesthesia during the delivery. The safety of the procedure is well-discussed and documented; nonetheless, in 2020 a single population-based study indicated an association between the use of ELA during labor and newborn risk of ASD development, which led to widespread concern. To explore the possible association between the ELA and ASD occurrence in the offspring several studies in different countries have been conducted to date. In this review we aimed to summarize the current state of knowledge concerning the association between the use of epidural analgesia during labor and risk of ASD. In conclusion, the literature review indicates that there is no significant association.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorders; epidural analgesia; pregnancy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow-chart displaying the selection process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. APA . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; Washington, DC, USA: 2013.
    1. Newschaffer C.J., Croen L.A., Daniels J., Giarelli E., Grether J.K., Levy S.E., Mandell D.S., Miller L.A., Pinto-Martin J., Reaven J., et al. The epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders. Annu. Rev. Public Health. 2007;28:235–258. doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.28.021406.144007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rosenberg R.E., Law J.K., Yenokyan G., McGready J., Kaufmann W.E., Law P.A. Characteristics and concordance of autism spectrum disorders among 277 twin pairs. Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. 2009;163:907–914. doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.98. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Constantino J.N., Todorov A., Hilton C., Law P., Zhang Y., Molloy E., Fitzgerald R., Geschwind D. Autism recurrence in half siblings: Strong support for genetic mechanisms of transmission in ASD. Mol. Psychiatry. 2013;18:137–138. doi: 10.1038/mp.2012.9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Muhle R.A., Reed H.E., Stratigos K.A., Veenstra-VanderWeele J. The Emerging Clinical Neuroscience of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018;75:514–523. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.4685. - DOI - PubMed