epidural

comparative more epidural · superlative most epidural

1. relationalanatomySituated on or outside the dura mater.

   Synonyms: extradural, peridural

2. relationalmedicineOf or pertaining to the space immediately outside the dura mater.

   Epidural anesthesia is commonly used for pain relief during childbirth.

plural epidurals

1. medicineAn injection of anaesthetic into the epidural space of the spine, especially associated with pain relief during childbirth.

   For reasons I shan’t bore you with, I got them to induce me at 39 weeks, at 10am, with the epidural going in first, and it was all a dream. Until the baby went back to back and they very nicely pointed out that the epidural doesn’t deal with that pain.

   2014 December 5, Marina Hyde, “Childbirth is as awful as it is magical, thanks to our postnatal ‘care’”, in The Guardian

   1 more example

   During my third birth, the epidural provided a welcome numbing sensation on one side of my abdomen, but I still had sharp, intense pain on the other. […] I’ve talked to dozens of mom friends over the years. Most say their epidural was like a magic wand that eliminated their pain in minutes. Some recalled napping or watching a movie through most of labor.

   2025 November 25, Jillian Pretzel, “I got an epidural for all three of my births – none of them worked as expected”, in The Guardian, →ISSN