Women across America are frequently turning to nonmedical and alternative methods to both start their labor and manage pain during the childbirth process, according to new research from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. The latest analysis is the first such study to analyze the use of both medical and nonmedical care during labor among women giving birth across the United States. Previously, clinicians and public health officials had little insight into the scope of use of alternative methods of labor induction and pain management; nor was the extent to which nonmedical methods are used in conjunction with medical means previously documented.