Elective inductions article
* Is elective induction safe and effective?
* How did obstetricians come to believe elective induction was harmless?
* Who makes a good candidate for elective induction?
* How can women considering elective induction minimize the risks?
* Bibliography
“I live an hour from the hospital; if there’s a blizzard, the road may be impassible.”
“I only get six weeks maternity leave. I don’t want to get up from my desk to go to the hospital, but I don’t want to sit home for two weeks either and only have four weeks to recover.”
“My mother can come to help me out after the baby comes, but she has to prearrange for the time.”
“If we induce labor, I can be sure of getting the doctor that I really like.”
“I’m so huge and uncomfortable and tired of being pregnant.”
Who hasn’t heard one or more of these nonmedical reasons for wanting to induce labor. Many obstetricians have no objections to elective induction, and some actually promote it: “We don’t want to let that baby get too big” is probably the most common reason given, although “impending post dates” gets my vote for most creative indication. The convenience of scheduling labor is even more of a boon to busy obstetricians than to their patients, so if it works and it’s harmless, why not induce?
