Plenty of moms-to-be want to avoid inducing labor unless it's medically necessary. Labor induced in the hospital can carry a lot of risks, including severe pain, uterine rupture, infection, bleeding, and heart problems. So, when a due date rolls around and fails to bring a baby with it, plenty of parents look for natural alternatives. One of the most popular natural methods for inducing labor involves castor oil, a powerful laxative that has been used for thousands of years to encourage moms' bodies to go into labor. Unfortunately, there are several reasons to avoid using castor oil to induce labor.
1. There's no real evidence that castor oil works to induce labor. While you may have heard personal stories about moms going into labor after taking castor oil, it seems that most of those women would have gone into labor anyway. A systematic review by the Cochrane Collaboration found that there are very few decent studies of castor oil to induce labor. The one decent study they found, which was still heavily flawed, didn't find that castor oil worked to induce labor or reduce the need for a C-section. Why take a risk for something that hasn't been shown to work?
2. Castor oil a very uncomfortable way to go into labor. Even if castor oil worked to induce labor, it's not without some very unpleasant side effects. Castor oil is recognized as safe and effective by the FDA as a laxative (but not as a method for inducing labor). Even small amounts of castor oil tend to have a very strong laxative effect, complete with unpleasant side effects like diarrhea, cramping, and even incontinence. There aren't many moms who want to start out labor with so much unnecessary discomfort.
3. Castor oil could make you dehydrated. If castor oil works to induce labor, it may work in a very dangerous way: by depriving the body of fluid and causing dehydration. Diarrhea from castor oil can quickly dehydrate a woman's body, and the dehydration itself can cause contractions. This can be bad news, since dehydration during labor can cause serious complications for both the mom and baby.
4. Castor oil might hurt your baby. While one study didn't find any increased risk for babies whose moms used castor oil to induce labor, we don't really know if castor oil is safe for the baby. Some moms, doctors, and midwives have said that castor oil seems to increase the risk that the baby will poop before or during labor. That might not seem like a big deal, but if your baby poops before he's born, he's at risk of having meconium aspiration syndrome, which can be severe and even life-threatening. Until we're sure that castor oil doesn't cause unborn babies to poop, it's probably best to avoid it for now.
5. There are safer alternatives. While it's understandable to want to avoid inducing labor in a hospital, there are plenty of low-risk natural ways to induce labor. These include physical activity, nipple stimulation, and sex, along with some unproven but low-risk folk remedies like spicy food and pineapple. You can also talk to your doctor or midwife about the risks of inducing labor compared to the risks of allowing your pregnancy to continue without inducing. That will depend on several factors including how far past your due date you are, any complications with this pregnancy, and whether you've had an ultrasound showing that the baby is still doing well. Ultimately, the risks of using castor oil to induce labor simply aren't worth it.