What are the potential side effects and complications for me from an epidural?
The techniques for administering epidural anesthesia that have been developed have a good track record for safety in the laboring patient. In our practice, we do thousands of labor epidurals each year, and it is uncommon for patients to encounter serious complications from them. The most common side effect is the transient soreness you may feel in your back where the epidural was placed. This is similar to the discomfort you may have from the IV needle in your arm. The epidural procedure itself is done in a sterile fashion and the infection rate is extremely low. Any significant bleeding from an epidural is very rare. PCEA often causes a small transient drop in blood pressure, which is normal. This occurs because the nerves that control the diameter of the blood vessels are blocked at the same time as the nerves carrying pain sensations. If your blood pressure changes too much, you may start to feel dizzy or nauseated. This is infrequent; your blood pressure will be monitored closely d
