Inducing labor can be necessary for medical reasons, but elective induction before 39 weeks is not advised. Complications such as high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and fetal distress can also require induction. The process involves using hormones to stimulate contractions, but carries risks such as C-sections and uterine tearing. The decision to induce labor should be carefully weighed.
There are many reasons a healthcare provider may choose to induce labor in a woman, including because the mother wants to or because of a medical emergency. Although usually a safe medical intervention, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises against elective induced labor before 39 weeks of gestation.
The typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, which is a long time for the woman to endure it. If labor hasn’t started by 42 weeks, a healthcare professional will induce labor. After 42 weeks, the baby is at risk due to placenta deterioration. Most medical professionals, however, schedule an induction if labor hasn’t started by week 40.
There are many medical complications that can lead to the need to induce labor. Complications, such as high blood pressure and preeclampsia, which cause high blood pressure, headaches and excessive fluid retention, often mean that labor must be induced for the good of mother and baby. Heart disease, bleeding during pregnancy, and gestational diabetes are other complications that require a doctor to make sure the mother and baby both get the medical treatment they need.
If, for any reason, the baby is distressed and appears to be deprived of oxygen or nutrients, labor may be induced if the pregnancy is nearing full term. Sometimes, a baby may look very small for his or her gestational age, and the healthcare professional may decide it is best to prompt to see if there is a problem. If a mother’s water, or amniotic sac, has ruptured and labor doesn’t begin within 24 to 48 hours, a doctor will get things moving due to the possibility of a bacterial infection. Another reason to do this is a uterine infection called chorioamnionitis.
Some women schedule labor for their or their father’s work reasons, or because they want to ensure that an off-site family is present at the birth. Women carrying multiples and attempting vaginal delivery may also choose to induce. Different healthcare professionals have different policies on why or even if they allow elective induced labor, so a woman who may wish to electively induce should discuss this well in advance.
To induce labor, your healthcare provider will give you oxytocin and/or prostaglandin, which are hormones that stimulate labor contractions. If the cervix is mature, these should get labor started fairly quickly. Two nonmedicinal interventions include artificial rupture of membranes (AROM) and removal of membranes. While some women respond quickly, others may take two to three days to go into labor.
As with any medical intervention, labor induction carries risks. First of all, it might just not work: Every woman responds differently, and every labor is unpredictable.
Sometimes, an induction can end in a C-section for many different reasons: the baby hasn’t been able to pass the birth canal, the cervix hasn’t been properly ripened, or the long labor has put the baby in a pinch. There is a slight risk of uterine tearing due to abnormal contractions that can result from the use of artificial hormones. Oxytocin, on rare occasions, can cause low blood pressure and hyponatremia, which can cause seizures.
Another concern is if your Estimated Delivery Date (EDD) has been miscalculated. The health care professional may believe that the baby is 38 weeks old, which is a safe age to deliver, but in reality, the baby may be a few weeks younger. This is called a late preterm baby, and complications similar to those associated with a preterm baby can occur. For these reasons, the person making the decision to induce labor must carefully weigh the benefits against the risks.
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