The pain that women experience during labour is affected by multiple physiological and psychosocial factors and its intensity can vary greatly. A woman’s position in labour, mobility, fear and anxiety may influence her experience of pain. Most women in labour request pain relief. There are various pharmacological (epidural analgesia, opioid's, inhaled analgesia) and non-pharmacological (hypnosis, acupuncture, aromatherapy, sterile water injections, TENS, etc.) interventions that are used for this purpose. However, no single universal method of managing labour pain exists which fits all circumstances. There is more evidence to support the efficacy of pharmacological methods, but these have more adverse effects. Pain relief during labour is desired by many women in labour and contributes immensely to their satisfaction with the experience of childbirth. Women should feel free to choose whatever pain management they feel would help them most during labour. Women who choose non-drug pain management should feel free, if needed, to move onto a drug intervention. During pregnancy, women should be told about the benefits and potential adverse effects on themselves and their babies of the different methods of pain control.