Supporting you make a decision
Benefits of induction of labour
Benefits to mother
General:
May feel increased sense of control when planning your birth. (1)
Induction of labour from 39-40 weeks:
May reduce your chances of developing pre-eclampsia if you are ≥ 40 years old.(2)
Induction of labour from 41+0 weeks:
Having an induction of labour may reduce your risk of an unplanned caesarean birth. (3)
Benefits to baby
From 39-40 weeks:
May reduce the likelihood of stillbirth late in pregnancy if you are ≥ 40 years old.
From 41+0 weeks:
Having an induction of labour may reduce the risk of your baby needing admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). (4)
May reduce the likelihood of stillbirth and neonatal death. The benefit may be higher for those from a minority ethnic background or those who live in more deprived areas of the UK, where stillbirth rates are higher. (5)
If your baby is large-for-dates, your risk of shoulder dystocia and in turn, fractures, are reduced compared to waiting for physiological labour. (6)
It may be associated with higher Apgar (hyperlink to explanation) scores than waiting for physiological labour.
Benefits of oxytocin use and in specific circumstances
Benefits of oxytocin use:
Is generally considered safe for mother and baby. (7)
Use of oxytocin seems to shorten your length of labour by nearly 2 hours.
It has not been shown to increase the uptake of epidurals.
There is no difference in the caesarean section rate.
Benefits in specific circumstances:
If you are being induced and you have had a previous caesarean birth, mechanical methods of induction are associated with a lower risk of your scar coming apart (rupturing) in comparison to inducing with medication (prostaglandins).(8)
Being induced straight away in the event of developing severe pre-eclampsia (persistent blood pressure >160/110), reduces your chance of having a small for gestational age baby. (9)
5 in 100 less women with a BMI >30kg/m2 will have an unplanned/emergency caesarean birth if they are induced between 39-40 weeks compared to waiting for spontaneous labour to begin. (systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies) (10) (11)
References:
Weeks AD, Alfirevic Z. Induction of labour: first, do no harm. The Lancet. 2022;400(10364):1656-7.
RCOG. Induction of Labour at Term in Older Mothers 2013 [Available from: https://www.rcog.org.uk/media/lp4n13jn/sip_34.pdf.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Guidelines. Inducing labour. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Middleton P, Shepherd E, Crowther CA. Induction of labour for improving birth outcomes for women at or beyond term. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2018(5).
MBRRACE-Uk IGa. State of the nation report | MBRRACE-UK. 2025.
Boulvain M, Thornton JG. Induction of labour at or near term for suspected fetal macrosomia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2023(3).
Bugg GJ, Siddiqui F, Thornton JG. Oxytocin versus no treatment or delayed treatment for slow progress in the first stage of spontaneous labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013(6):Cd007123.
RCOG. Birth After Previous Caesarean Birth 2015 [Available from: https://www.rcog.org.uk/media/kpkjwd5h/gtg_45.pdf.
Li J, Shao X, Song S, Liang Q, Liu Y, Qi X. Immediate versus delayed induction of labour in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2020;20(1):735.
Krogh LQ, Glavind J, Henriksen TB, Thornton J, Fuglsang J, Boie S. Full-term induction of labor vs expectant management and cesarean delivery in women with obesity: systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM. 2023;5(5):100909.
Denison F, Aedla N, Keag O, Hor K, Reynolds R, Milne A, et al. Care of Women with Obesity in Pregnancy. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 2019;126(3):e62-e106.
