In the US, 71% of women choose to have some type of epidural anesthesia pain relief during labor (Stanford Medicine, 2017). Most of the time, epidural anesthesia is not medically necessary. It is chosen by mothers who do not want to experience the pain that comes with childbirth, or it’s been suggested to get an epidural. Epidurals are also used when a woman is not progressing, or they have hit their threshold for labor pain and ask for it.