If you don't go into labor naturally before 41 weeks, or you face certain health risks in pregnancy, you may need an induced labor. Labor induction is a medical process used to trigger the start of labor. There are several ways to induce labor in pregnancy.
At UPMC, we offer labor induction when it will benefit your health or your baby's health. Our labor and delivery experts explain each step of the process and support your birth plan requests whenever possible. We choose the safest induction methods possible for you and use fetal heart rate monitoring to ensure your baby's safety.
Here's what you need to know about why and how labor induction happens and how you can prepare.
Labor induction is the use of one or more methods to bring on labor and birth. Your doctor or midwife may suggest an induction of labor to protect your health or your baby's health. They will only recommend it if the benefits of labor induction outweigh the risks of labor induction.
Induced labor has become more common. Studies have shown that inducing labor in low-risk, healthy first-time pregnancies during the 39th week reduces the risk of serious complications, including fewer C-sections, compared to waiting until 41 weeks.
Your provider may suggest induction if:
Sometimes, people ask to schedule an induction even if they don't medically need it. You can request to have labor induced once you're at least 39 weeks pregnant. Your doctor may offer to schedule it for that week if you don't go into labor naturally.
You may want a labor induction if you live far away from the hospital and you had fast labor with a previous birth. (In other words, spontaneous labor could happen so quickly that you might not make it to the hospital in time.)
Your doctor will assess whether an elected labor induction is suitable for you based on your unique situation.
If you're considering an induction, you may also be wondering how to naturally induce labor. While you can find many traditional home methods to induce labor naturally, some of these methods are not safe. Some herbs purported to induce labor can be harmful to the fetus. Castor oil is not proven to induce labor and can cause nausea and diarrhea.
One of the ways to induce labor naturally is walking. A recent study found that walking for 30 minutes three times a week can help induce labor earlier when started at 38 weeks. Nipple stimulation, which releases oxytocin in the body, may also help to induce labor.
These methods aren't as effective as medical induction but could be worth trying.
If you should induce labor or wait for labor to start on its own depends on one or more of the following:
Your doctor can explain the pros and cons of induced labor as they apply to your pregnancy. Sometimes, the choice to induce labor is obvious: to protect the baby's health or your health.
Pros of labor induction include decreased risk of complications from either a pregnancy that goes to 40 weeks or beyond or one that has complications that can get worse over time. Cons include increased monitoring and interventions (like an IV) needed when medically inducing labor and other potential risks, detailed below.
In other cases, the pros of labor induction may only slightly outweigh the risks of labor induction. In other cases, the risk of waiting may be much higher. Talk to your doctor about if it's reasonable to wait to see if labor starts on its own.
Prepare to be induced by:
Usually, you can eat and drink as normal before you go to the hospital for labor induction. Your doctor may give you instructions about limiting food and some drinks if you are at a high risk of needing a C-section.
Prepare for your induction as you would prepare for natural labor: By packing your hospital bag. See our list of items to pack for your hospital stay during labor and delivery. Be sure to add last-minute items like your ID, phone charger, and health insurance information before you leave.
Labor may take many hours to start after induction and progress slowly at first, so pack entertainment for yourself. Consider packing a magazine, a music player (if you don't listen to music on your phone), or a tablet for watching shows.
Though complications are rare, labor induction carries risks. Your doctor will only recommend induction if they think the risks of you continuing your pregnancy are greater than the risks of induction.
Risks of labor inductions include:
You may need one or more methods to induce labor. Here's what you can expect before, during, and after labor induction.
Your doctor will explain why you need a labor induction and talk to you about the benefits and risks. They will also explain what steps they will take to induce your labor.
Usually, you'll have a scheduled appointment to induce labor. At your ob-gyn appointment before your induction, your doctor will check your cervix and determine the best course of action for inducing labor.
It's also possible that your doctor could recommend starting a labor induction while you're at the hospital for a prenatal check-up. (In this case, they'll make sure the timing works for you).
Your doctor may do one or more membrane sweeps in prenatal visits before your labor induction. This can naturally encourage the body's production of prostaglandin, a hormone that helps prepare the cervix for birth.
Sometimes, labor occurs naturally within a day or two after a membrane sweep. But membrane sweeps, also called membrane stripping, aren't usually enough to induce labor.
For the membrane sweep, the doctor inserts a gloved finger into the cervix. Then, they use their finger to gently lift the amniotic sac away from the cervix and the lower part of the uterus. It can cause mild cramping and spotting for the next day.
Your doctor will usually start with ripening the cervix before breaking the water or using an IV medication. Sometimes, ripening the cervix is enough to trigger labor.
If your cervix is already soft and thin (ripened), but labor isn't starting, they will break the water, use an IV medication, or both.
Your cervix needs to soften and thin out before it begins to open. There are different ways to accomplish this.
One way is prostaglandin, a synthetic form of a hormone the body makes. This medication encourages the cervix to soften and thin.
Your doctor may place this medication near your cervix using a vaginal insert or a gel. You can also take an oral form of prostaglandin.
Another way to ripen the cervix is to use medical instruments. Doctors may insert laminaria sticks into the cervix opening, which expand as they absorb water. Or they can use a Foley catheter, which gradually inflates to soften, thin, and dilate the cervix.
Prostaglandin can trigger strong contractions. Doctors may, therefore, recommend cervical ripening with medical instruments if you previously had a C-section or uterine surgery. That could mean you're at a higher-than-normal risk of uterine rupture.
Your doctor may give you a synthetic form of oxytocin (called Pitocin) through an IV. Oxytocin is the hormone that triggers labor contractions. This medication can start or strengthen labor contractions.
Your provider can increase or decrease the dose, depending on how you respond. You'll wear a fetal heart rate monitor around your belly, so your care team can monitor your baby's heart rate.
Another term for breaking your water is the rupture of membranes. Your doctor will insert a small hook into the vagina and through the cervical opening.
They will use the hook to puncture the membrane around the amniotic sac. It will cause amniotic fluid to leak or gush from the vagina.
Your doctor or midwife will perform this procedure if your cervix has already started to dilate, but labor isn't progressing. They may do this before or after giving oxytocin.
Labor induction may be more painful than waiting for labor to begin on its own. The pain will depend on what labor induction methods you need.
Labor-inducing medications can cause more painful labor:
How long labor induction takes to work depends on what methods your doctor uses. Contractions often start within a few hours after labor induction methods like prostaglandin and breaking the water.
Oxytocin can induce contractions more quickly, within 30 minutes. But doctors usually don't use this until after trying other methods.
Once labor begins, an induced labor could be faster, shorter, or the same length as the average spontaneous (non-induced) labor.
Your doctor can tell you if your labor is likely to go quickly or slowly based on your cervix and your baby's position. They will assess how dilated, thin, and soft your cervix is and its position.
After labor induction, you will most likely go into labor. You could deliver your baby on the same day or the next day after your labor induction, depending on how long your labor takes.
Once labor starts, the process won't be different from non-induced labor. You can request pain medication during your labor, like an epidural, just as you would with a non-induced labor. You can also use alternative pain management methods, like water therapy and massage.
If labor induction methods don't work (and your doctor didn't break your water), you may be able to go home and rest. Your doctor may attempt labor induction again, or your labor may start naturally in the meantime. If your doctor has concerns about your health or your baby's health, you may need a C-section.
If all is well, you'll go home with your baby 48 hours after birth.
Last reviewed by a UPMC medical professional on 2024-09-05.
