Background—There is limited documentation of non-medical methods of labor induction and
pain management during childbirth in the U.S. We estimated the prevalence of non-medical
interventions for induction and pain management and examined the association between medical
and non-medical care during labor.
Methods—We used a nationally-representative survey of U.S. women who gave birth in 2005
(N=1,382) to examine use of non-medical methods of labor induction and pain management.
Using logistic regression, we calculated odds of non-medical and medical interventions to induce
labor or mitigate pain, and the odds of medical induction and obstetric analgesia by whether nonmedical
methods were used.
Results—Nearly 30% of women used non-medical methods to start labor, and over 70% of
women used non-medical pain management. Doula support was the strongest predictor of nonmedical
methods of labor induction (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 3.0) and labor pain
management (AOR = 5.7). Use of non-medical pain management was significantly associated
with decreased odds of medical pain management (OR = 0.65); this relationship was attenuated
with covariate adjustment.
Conclusions—Non-medical methods to induce labor and manage pain during childbirth are
commonly used by U.S. women. Future research should examine effectiveness of these strategies
and their influence on medical services use