Medical Labor Induction: Good To Know

A review by The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) suggests that medical induction of labor is overused. The U.S. induction rate has more than doubled since 1989, rising from one woman in ten to one woman in five in 2001. This may, however, grossly undercount the true incidence of labor induction. Nearly half of women in a 2002 survey reported that some effort had been made to start labor artificially. The World Health Organization recommends no more than a 10 percent induction rate.

Despite modern techniques, induction of labor still introduces considerable risk compared with natural onset of labor, and many, if not most, inductions are done for reasons that are not supported by sound medical research.

More information about the Risks of Medical Labor Induction