What's the right dose? a trial seeks the sweet spot for labor epidurals

NCT ID NCT04814537

Completed Symptom relief Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Aug 04, 2026 · Last updated Aug 05, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial aims to find the optimal dose of bupivacaine, a local anesthetic, for starting epidural pain relief during labor. It will enroll 100 healthy women with a single, full-term pregnancy who request an epidural for pain. The goal is to determine the dose that provides effective pain relief (a pain score below 3 on a 0-10 scale) in 90% of participants within 30 minutes.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: bupivacaine hydrochloride (Marcaine), a local anesthetic
What this could lead to: If successful, this could help doctors choose the most effective starting dose of epidural pain relief for laboring women, improving comfort and reducing the need for additional interventions.
What could go wrong: The trial is relatively small and focuses on a specific group of healthy women at term, so results may not apply to all laboring patients. As with any epidural, there are risks such as low blood pressure, headache, or nerve irritation.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

agnosia Labor Pain pain agnosia

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

ANALGESIA LABOR PAIN

Contacts and locations

Locations

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.