To me “Inhaled analgesia appears to be effective in reducing pain intensity and in giving pain relief in labour” sounds like a ringing endorsement from Cochrane given that their usual bottom line seems to be “not enough evidence.” Just about anything for childbirth pain seems to be pretty hit-or-miss, so the fact that it’s not that effective for some people seems like not that big of a downside compared to other methods or no method.
Yes, good point! Based on the Cochrane review, we could confidently say nitrous oxide has an effect on pain. I should have said the evidence for the degree of pain relief appears variable and uncertain, although on a closer look, Cochrane’s estimate suggests 3.5 on a 0-10 scale vs placebo (which is pretty great).
To me “Inhaled analgesia appears to be effective in reducing pain intensity and in giving pain relief in labour” sounds like a ringing endorsement from Cochrane given that their usual bottom line seems to be “not enough evidence.” Just about anything for childbirth pain seems to be pretty hit-or-miss, so the fact that it’s not that effective for some people seems like not that big of a downside compared to other methods or no method.
Yes, good point! Based on the Cochrane review, we could confidently say nitrous oxide has an effect on pain. I should have said the evidence for the degree of pain relief appears variable and uncertain, although on a closer look, Cochrane’s estimate suggests 3.5 on a 0-10 scale vs placebo (which is pretty great).