Fetal awareness: Review of research and recommendations for practice

A review and update to the 1997 Report on Fetal Awareness by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists incorporating relevant literature and new research into fetal pain and development. The RCOG Working Party finds that the current scientific evidence does not indicate that a fetus can experience pain prior to 24 weeks of gestation, thus the need for analgesia prior to that point in gestation is not recommended.