DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjams.2026.v14i04.003

Pages: 438-442

Background: Labour pain is one of the most intense forms of pain experienced by women, involving both physiological and psychological components. Effective pain management improves maternal comfort, labour experience, and potentially labour outcomes. Epidural analgesia is considered the gold standard for labour pain relief, while programmed labour analgesia offers a structured, resource-friendly alternative. Objective: To compare the efficacy, safety, labour outcomes, and cost of epidural analgesia versus programmed labour analgesia in women undergoing labour. Methods: This prospective comparative study was conducted in a tertiary hospital from July 2024 to July 2025. A total of 200 pregnant women in active labour were enrolled and equally divided into two groups: Group A received epidural analgesia and Group B received programmed labour analgesia. Maternal vital signs, fetal heart rate, labour progress, and pain scores (VAS) were monitored. Primary outcomes included pain relief, duration of labour stages, mode of delivery, and maternal satisfaction. Secondary outcomes included APGAR scores, fetal heart rate variations, instrumental delivery, maternal complications, and analgesia cost. Data were analyzed using SPSS v23.0, with p<0.05 considered significant. Results: Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. Epidural analgesia provided superior pain relief, with mean VAS scores decreasing from 8.3 ± 1.0 to 3.0 ± 1.1, compared to 8.5 ± 1.0 to 4.6 ± 1.3 in programmed labour analgesia (p<0.001). The first stage of labour was longer in Group A (302 ± 45 min) than Group B (255 ± 40 min, p<0.001), while second-stage duration and mode of delivery were comparable. Maternal complications, including hypotension, motor blockade, and nausea, were slightly higher in the epidural group, with motor blockade being statistically significant (p=0.038). APGAR scores at 1 and 5 minutes were similar between groups. The mean cost of analgesia was substantially higher in Gro