Inducing Labor Raises Risks for Moms

The Scoop

Considering a scheduled birth for the sake of sheer convenience? Moms who have their labors induced, without a medical reason, are placing themselves at higher risk for birth-related complications, according to a study from researchers at the University of Rochester.

Published in February 11, 2011, issue of the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, the study of 485 women found that 34 percent of women who opted for elective induction of labor ultimately had a Cesarean section, while only 20 percent of women who labored naturally underwent a Cesarean delivery. Additionally, women who were induced had more bleeding—even after taking C-section deliveries into account—and stayed in the hospital longer than women whose deliveries were not induced.

"The benefits of a procedure should always outweigh the risks. If there aren't any medical benefits to inducing labor, it is hard to justify doing it electively when we know it increases the risks for the mother and the baby," says Dr. Christopher Glantz, study author and professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in a medical center news release.

Your Pregnancy

In the past decade, scheduled deliveries have become common, with study authors citing social reasons such as convenience and moms' requests to deliver with "their" physician for the ongoing increase in purely elective inductions. Sound familiar? If you are thinking about requesting a scheduled delivery on the date you know your mother has booked her airline tickets, take a step back and consider some alternatives. Could your mother arrange to stay longer should you go past your original due date? Could she change her tickets to open booking to offer help with the new baby?

If it's a matter of feeling like you don't know the other on call OBs at the hospital, look for a "Meet the Doctors" night to get a better idea of the faces and personalities you may encounter on the big day. If your doctor is part of a large practice, consider making some of your appointments with other OBs on staff in order to get better acquainted.