Obstetrics General Obstertrics

Induction (birth) Wikipedia

Induction is a way of artificially bringing on childbirth|labour in a woman.

Common causes for induction include:

• The baby is believed to be getting too big

• Postdate pregnancy, i.e. if the pregnancy has gone past the 42 week mark

• Intrauterine fetal growth retardation (IUGR)

• There are health risks to the woman in continuing the pregnancy (e.g. she has preeclampsia)

• Premature rupture of the Amniotic sac|membranes (PROM); this is when the membranes rupture, but labour does not start within a specific amount of time.

Induced labour tends to be more intense and painful for the woman, often leading to the increased use of analgesics and other pain-relieving phamaceuticals. This cascade of intervention has been shown to lead to an increased likelihood of caesarean section delivery for the baby. See: Roberts, Tracy, Peat in references. Inductions should only be undertaken for significant medical reasons.

Last Modified:   2005-12-23