Neuraxial Labor Analgesia and Offspring Neurodevelopment

NCT ID: NCT04964206

Last Updated: 2025-07-31

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

5580 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-10-14

Study Completion Date

2028-12-31

Brief Summary

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How perinatal factors affect the long-term development of children has always been an issue of much concern. This study is designed to explore the potential impact of maternal neuraxial labor analgesia exposure on offspring neurodevelopment.

Detailed Description

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Neuraxial labor analgesia, including epidural analgesia and combined spinal-epidural analgesia, is a well-established technique to alleviate labor pain. It can help to reduce the maternal stress response during labor and might be associated with a lower risk of maternal postpartum depression; which may be beneficial to the long-term neurodevelopment in offspring.

On the other hand, neuraxial labor analgesia is associated with increased risks of intrapartum maternal fever and instrumental delivery, which may produce potentially harmful effects. In addition, it has been reported that the anesthetic exposure during neuraxial analgesia may lead to fetal-neonatal depression and even neurotoxic effects of less mature neonatal brain. Taking all these into account, the potential long-term effects of neuraxial analgesia on offspring neurodevelopment is still controversial and deserves further study.

The objective of study is to investigate if there is any association between maternal neuraxial analgesia exposure during labor and risk of offspring neurodevelopment delay at age 24 months.

Conditions

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Offspring, Adult Labor Pain Maternal Anesthesia and Analgesia Affecting Fetus or Newborn Neurodevelopmental Delay Postpartum Depression

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

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Neuraxial analgesia exposure

For mothers who accept neuraxial labor analgesia, epidural analgesia or combined spinal-epidural analgesia will be provided according to routine practice of each study center.

Neuraxial labor analgesia

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Epidural or combined spinal-epidural labor analgesia will be performed according to the routine practice of each study center.

No neuraxial analgesia exposure

For patients who do not accept neuraxial labor analgesia, analgesics will be prescribed by obstetricians according to routine practice.

No neuraxial labor analgesia

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Neuraxial analgesia will not be performed. Analgesics will be prescribed by the obstetricians according to routine practice.

Interventions

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Neuraxial labor analgesia

Epidural or combined spinal-epidural labor analgesia will be performed according to the routine practice of each study center.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

No neuraxial labor analgesia

Neuraxial analgesia will not be performed. Analgesics will be prescribed by the obstetricians according to routine practice.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Primiparae between 18 and 35 years of age with term single cephalic pregnancy;
2. Undergo regular prenatal examination in the study centers;
3. Preparing to deliver vaginally.

Exclusion Criteria

1. History of psychiatric diseases (indicate those that are diagnosed before or during pregnancy by psychiatrists);
2. History of diseases involving the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis;
3. Presence of contraindications to epidural analgesia, which includes: (1) History of infectious disease of the central nervous system (poliomyelitis, cerebrospinal meningitis, encephalitis, etc.); (2) History of spinal or intra-spinal disease (trauma or surgery of spinal column, intra-spinal canal mass, etc.); (3) Systemic infection (sepsis); (4) Skin or soft tissue infection at the site of epidural puncture; (5) Coagulopathy.
4. Presence of contraindications to vaginal delivery;
5. Other reasons that are considered unsuitable for study participation.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

35 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Dong-Xin Wang

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Dong-Xin Wang

Professor and Chairman, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine

Responsibility Role SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Dong-Xin Wang, MD,PHD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Peking University First Hospital

Locations

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Peking University First Hospital

Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

Site Status RECRUITING

Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital

Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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China

Central Contacts

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Dong-Xin Wang, MD,PHD

Role: CONTACT

86-13910731903

Ting Ding, MD

Role: CONTACT

86-13718803529

Facility Contacts

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Dong-Xin Wang, MD, PHD

Role: primary

+8610-83572784

Ting Ding, MD

Role: backup

13718803529

Yuantao Li, MD

Role: primary

References

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Liu ZH, He ST, Deng CM, Ding T, Xu MJ, Wang L, Li XY, Wang DX. Neuraxial labour analgesia is associated with a reduced risk of maternal depression at 2 years after childbirth: A multicentre, prospective, longitudinal study. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2019 Oct;36(10):745-754. doi: 10.1097/EJA.0000000000001058.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31356375 (View on PubMed)

Wong CA. Advances in labor analgesia. Int J Womens Health. 2010 Aug 9;1:139-54. doi: 10.2147/ijwh.s4553.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21072284 (View on PubMed)

Morton S, Kua J, Mullington CJ. Epidural analgesia, intrapartum hyperthermia, and neonatal brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Anaesth. 2021 Feb;126(2):500-515. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2020.09.046. Epub 2020 Nov 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33218673 (View on PubMed)

Flick RP, Lee K, Hofer RE, Beinborn CW, Hambel EM, Klein MK, Gunn PW, Wilder RT, Katusic SK, Schroeder DR, Warner DO, Sprung J. Neuraxial labor analgesia for vaginal delivery and its effects on childhood learning disabilities. Anesth Analg. 2011 Jun;112(6):1424-31. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e3181f2ecdd. Epub 2010 Aug 24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20736436 (View on PubMed)

Wall-Wieler E, Bateman BT, Hanlon-Dearman A, Roos LL, Butwick AJ. Association of Epidural Labor Analgesia With Offspring Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders. JAMA Pediatr. 2021 Jul 1;175(7):698-705. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.0376.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33871547 (View on PubMed)

Wei M, Bian X, Squires J, Yao G, Wang X, Xie H, Song W, Lu J, Zhu C, Yue H, Zhu G, Wang Q, Xu R, Wan C, Sun S, Chen J. [Studies of the norm and psychometrical properties of the ages and stages questionnaires, third edition, with a Chinese national sample]. Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi. 2015 Dec;53(12):913-8. Chinese.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26887546 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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2021-026

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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