Many other nations rely heavily on nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, for pain relief in labor. In the US, it’s almost unheard of. Experts, including one who uses nitrous oxide regularly for patients, discuss why nitrous oxide is so little used in the US and if it might have advantages we could adopt.
Judith Bishop, certified nurse midwife, University of California, San Francisco
Dr. Craig Palmer, Chair, American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Obstetrical Anesthesia