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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

A gene helps women in labour to skip the painkillers

Uncommon genetic variant dampens the response of uterine neurons that sense pain.
A pregnant woman tries breathing through labour pains.

Labour’s sharp pangs are softened for some women by a genetic variant that affects neurons in the womb. Credit: Getty

Giving birth can be a painful experience — but not for women with a rare DNA variant that reduces the ability of neurons to send pain signals to the brain.

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Nature 583, 663 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02201-y

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