Association of neuraxial labor analgesia with autism spectrum disorder in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Previous reports exploring whether maternal neuraxial labor analgesia (NLA) exposure is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in children have yielded conflicting results. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published up to December 16, 2021, was conducted to assess the presence and the magnitude of a potential association between maternal NLA exposure and ASD risk in children.