[1] In Western countries, it is estimated that one-quarter of pregnant women have their labor medically induced with drug treatment.
Results from a 2021 systematic review found no differences in cesarean delivery nor neonatal outcomes in women with low-risk pregnancies between inpatient nor outpatient cervical ripening.
[17][18] Doctors and pregnant women should have a discussion of risks and benefits when considering an induction of labor in the absence of an accepted medical indication.
[19] Inducing labor before 39 weeks in the absence of a medical indication (such as hypertension, intrauterine growth restriction, or pre-eclampsia) increases the risk of complications of prematurity including difficulties with respiration, infection, feeding, jaundice, neonatal intensive care unit admissions, and perinatal death.
[21] Postterm pregnancies lasting beyond 41-42 weeks are associated with increased risks of stillbirth, neonatal death and caesarean section which can be reduced by inducing labor.
[22][23][18][24] If waters break (membranes rupture) between 24 and 37 weeks' gestation, waiting for the labor to start naturally with careful monitoring of the woman and baby is more likely to lead to healthier outcomes.
[25] For women over 37 weeks pregnant whose babies are suspected of not coping well in the womb, it is not yet clear from research whether it is best to have an induction or caesarean immediately, or to wait until labour happens by itself.
[30] There is insufficient scientific evidence to determine if inducing a woman's labor at home is a safe and effective approach for both the women and the baby.
[35][41] Even though women reported seeing hospitals as a safe place for labor induction and giving birth, for some it is also considered an anxiety-inducing setting where they are restricted and not allowed to move around or see family members.
[35][41] Membrane sweeping, a common method of labor induction, can cause bleeding and irregular contractions and is often done without informed consent by the pregnant person.
[43] Many of these unnecessary inductions could potentially provoke other risks, forcing medical practitioners to perform other interventions such as caesarean sections.