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Induced labor is labor that is artificially started. Usually this is accomplished with medications, such as by administering an IV drip of the hormone oxytocin. Other forms of intervention can also be used, such as rupturing the amniotic sac. Prostaglandin gel may also be rubbed on the cervix to try a make it dilate.

Occasionally induced labor is done due to a medical emergency or condition that makes it imperative that the baby is born immediately.

• When medically necessary, induced labor is often tried as a means to avoid the need for a cesarean section.

More often it is done merely because the woman is overdue or because she is near her time of delivery and she either wants to get it done and over with, or because the doctor likes to 'schedule' the deliveries. In other words, in many cases induced labor is being done merely for the sake of convenience.

• No matter what the reason is for inducing labor, the mother must be aware of the risks involved. Complications can arise that can seriously harm the baby, as well as the mother.

The most obvious risk associated with induced labor is that it might not work. When labor is being induced, the mother is given drugs that bring on contractions. These drugs are not able to force the rest of the body to prepare for the birth. A common problem is failure of the cervix to fully dilate. Induced labor may also be ineffective for a thousand different reasons including the baby's refusal to budge. In such cases, the mother will have had to endure hours of contractions only to be forced to undergo an emergency cesarean section.

• Induced labor tends to be more painful and longer than natural labor.
• The baby suffers more stresses from an induced labor. This stress can cause the fetus to go into distress, resulting in the need for an emergency cesarean in order to save the baby's life.
• If the baby's due date was miscalculated; the induction may actually be causing a premature birth, along with all the complications that go along with a premature birth.
• A woman who undergoes an induced labor is twice as likely to require a cesarean than is a woman going through natural labor.
• There is also a risk that the mother, the baby, or both may have an adverse reaction to the medication used to induce labor.

In an emergency, you may be faced with the decision of trying to induce labor or going immediately for a cesarean. In most cases, however, a rush decision is not necessary and should be avoided.

• If you are even remotely considering having an induced labor, be sure that you are aware of all the risks associated with it.

Don't trust your doctor implicitly. If your doctor recommends or mentions that induction is an option, be sure you understand why he is advocating for the procedure.

• Is it medically necessary? Ask if there are any alternative treatments that you can use to treat your medical condition.
• Many women undergo induced labor because they are overdue. In many cases their 'being overdue' is merely a matter of a miscalculated due date. If you and your baby are doing fine, think twice about rushing nature.
• Some doctors and midwives will push for an induction if they feel that you are suffering, mentally, from the pregnancy. This is the old, "I'm so sick of this, I can't wait to get it over with" problem. They may misconstrue an off-handed remark as an indication that you are truly suffering – thereby making an induction a reasonable medical treatment. By talking to your doctor, you will be able to discover if he is advocating the procedure based upon this misunderstanding.
• Try to determine if your doctor is advocating an induction for his own convenience. Although most doctors will only do an induction out of a medical necessity, there are those that will push a woman into undergoing an induction just so the Doctor does not run the risk of being pulled out of bed to deliver the baby!
• In the same vein, don't talk yourself into undergoing an induced labor because you want to have your baby born on your own birthday or on your day off. It may sound nice to be able to pick the day of your child's birth, but it is seldom worth the risk, or the pain, to achieve such a goal.