Unnecessary Inductions?

Posted by Brenda Lane Jul 31, 2007

A recent study in Washington state looked at a large sample size of mothers in 2000 to determine how many inductions took place without a medical indication.

What researchers found was that 33% of the original sample size of 4541 mothers had their labors induced. (Other statistics do indicate labor induction rates hover between 20-40%.) Of this group of women who received labor inductions, about 15% of them did not have a medical indication for the induction or the indication was not recorded incompletely.

Since nearly 1/3 of all women will be facing a labor induction, according to this and other studies, knowing what your options are as well as what the true medical indications for inductions are is crucial for all expectant mothers today.

For more information on labor inductions, see the following articles:

Labor Inductions Part 1 - statistics, non-medical reasons for induction

Labor Inductions Part 2 - medical reasons for induction, questions to ask

Are inductions more painful? - exploring the reasons why inductions hurt more than spontaneous labor

Warmly,

Brenda