However, the proportion of cesarean delivery was significantly lower for the induced group (18.6 percent), compared to the other group (22.2 percent).
As it turns out, that deeply-held idea was not based on sound science. And a few new studies have found that, in fact, inducing healthy women at 39 weeks isn't necessarily associated with an increased risk of C-sections, and could be associated with some advantages, too. Do inductions cause C-sections?
Synthetic oxytocin causes your uterus to contract more frequently and more intensely than with natural oxytocin. These intense contractions can affect how much oxygen your baby is receiving. If your baby shows signs of distress, a c-section may become necessary.
At 40 weeks of gestation, 920 NTSV patients were induced, of which 329 had cesarean deliveries (35.8%), and 954 NTSV patients presented in spontaneous labor, of which 180 ultimately had a cesarean delivery (18.9%). In other words, having your labour induced increases the chance of caesarean.
It is well established that labor has to be induced in approximately 20 % of pregnancies [1]. However, induction fails in 20 % of induced pregnancies [2].
However, the proportion of cesarean delivery was significantly lower for the induced group (18.6 percent), compared to the other group (22.2 percent). Similarly, the rate of blood pressure disorders of pregnancy was significantly lower in women who were induced (9.1 percent), compared to the other group (14.1 percent).
When induction fails, it is most often because your baby wasn't ready to be born and your body hadn't had the signal it was expecting to get ready. Induction interferes with the normal process your body is expecting and either doesn't respond well or refuses to cooperate.
Contractions help push your baby out of your uterus. Your provider may recommend inducing labor if your health or your baby's health is at risk or if you're 2 weeks or more past your due date. For some women, inducing labor is the best way to keep mom and baby healthy. Inducing labor should be for medical reasons only.
According to gestational age, labor induction was successful in 16.7%, 50.0%, and 62.8% of patients at 24 to 31, 32 to 33, and 34 to 36 weeks, showing a stepwise increase (P=0.006).
In addition, it is not an all-or-none choice: the option is not to have elective induction of labor at 39 weeks or refuse elective induction of labor completely. A woman may choose not to be induced at 39 weeks, but may change her mind at 40 weeks.
If you have been offered an induction of labour for a specific reason, but you do not want this, you can choose to wait for natural labour or plan a caesarean birth instead. Speak with your healthcare professional as early as possible to discuss your options.
Risks of Induction
The cervix often needs to be softened before pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) will be effective. Pitocin causes contractions that both peak and become stronger more quickly than naturally occurring contractions. The result is a labor that is more difficult to manage.
Research indicates that inducing labor at this time reduces several risks, including risks of having a stillbirth, having a large baby (macrosomia) and developing high blood pressure as the pregnancy advances.
Induced labour is usually more painful than labour that starts on its own, and you may want to ask for an epidural. Your pain relief options during labour are not restricted by being induced. You should have access to all the pain relief options usually available in the maternity unit.
In an induced labour, or induction, these labour processes are started artificially. It might involve mechanically opening your cervix, breaking your waters, or using medicine to start off your contractions — or a combination of these methods. In Australia, about 1 in 3 women has an induced labour.
Increased Risk of Interventions
When labor is induced, babies tend to stay in positions in the uterus that make it harder to move down the birth canal. Also, because contractions are often more painful, the need for epidural anesthesia increases.
Typically, a normally progressing labor for a first time parent from the very first sign of labor through birth of a baby can take between 24 to 36 hours. Typically, we expect an induction to last close to 36 hours.
Some people report an induced labour to be more painful, and the hospital stay during and after birth may be longer. It is also associated with a more negative birth experience (Adler et al, 2020; NICE, 2021a).
Doctors sometimes recommend inducing labor and birth for the benefit of the baby, mother, or both. Hypertensive diseases, including chronic high blood pressure and preeclampsia, are dangerous conditions that may require accelerated delivery.
Too-frequent contractions may lead to complications, including problems with the umbilical cord and the fetus's heart rate. Other possible risks of labor induction include: Infection. Uterine rupture.
A failed induction, one in which the procedure doesn't lead to a vaginal birth, might require another induction or a C-section.