Sometimes labour can be induced (started artificially) if your baby is overdue or there is any sort of risk to you or your baby's health, for example if you have high blood pressure or if your baby is failing to grow and develop.
Induction is always planned in advance, so you'll be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages with your doctor and midwife, and find out why they think your labour should be induced. It's your choice whether to have your labour induced or not.
Most women go into labour spontaneously by the time they are 42 weeks pregnant. If your pregnancy lasts longer than 42 weeks and you decide not to have your labour induced, you should be offered increased monitoring to check your baby's wellbeing.
There is a higher risk of stillbirth or foetal compromise (your baby's health being put at risk) if you go over 42 weeks pregnant, but not every pregnancy over 42 weeks is affected this way. At the moment there is no way to find out which babies might be affected, so induction is offered to all women who don't go into labour by 42 weeks.
Before formal induction of labour, you will be offered a vaginal examination with membrane sweeping to encourage labour to start. This will usually be done twice after 41 weeks. Then if labour does not start, you'll be offered induction of labour. Induction is always carried out in a hospital maternity unit. You will still be looked after by midwives, but doctors will be available if you need their help.
How labour is induced
Contractions can be started by inserting a pessary or gel into the vagina, and sometimes both are used. Induction of labour may take a while, particularly if the cervix (the neck of the uterus) needs to be softened with pessaries or gels.
Sometimes a hormone drip is needed to speed up the labour. Once labour starts, it should proceed normally, but it can sometimes take 24-48 hours to get you into labour.
For more information on induction, you can read guidelines on induction of labour (PDF, 132kb) produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE advises that induced labour is usually more painful than spontaneous labour (labour that starts on its own), and epidural anaesthesia and assisted delivery are more likely to be required.
If induction does not work, your doctor and midwife will assess your condition and your baby's wellbeing. You may be offered another induction, or a caesarean section – your midwife and doctor will discuss all the options with you.
