Denial of pain relief during labor to parturients in southeast Nigeria

Objective

To evaluate the experiences of parturients with regard to pain relief during labor in Enugu, Nigeria.

Methods

Women attending the prenatal clinics of 3 maternity care centers were interviewed via pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaires between August 2010 and January 2011. Both open and closed questions were asked to evaluate the opinions and experiences of the respondents with regard to labor analgesia in previous pregnancies.

Results

Overall, 34.1% of respondents were aware of their right to labor pain relief. Only 33.5% of maternal requests for labor pain relief were granted. Women who did not request labor analgesia indicated ignorance and fear of labor caregivers as their major reasons.

Conclusion

Most women in southeast Nigeria are unaware of their right to pain relief in labor. Ignorance and fear of unfavorable reactions from labor caregivers are hindering women from requesting labor analgesia. There is a need to address the issue of refusal of maternal requests for labor pain relief because it constitutes a violation of the fundamental right of the parturient and an unnecessary breach of medical ethics.