When it comes to considering whether you should induce your labor naturally or choose medications you need to be informed. There are some rare pre-existing medical conditions that could require medical induction in a highly controlled environment. It is, however, important to carefully consider the potential risks, as compared to the benefits, that labor induction may have to the mother or the baby. There are many natural methods for encouraging the labor to start naturally and their benefits far outweigh the seriousness of risks that are involved with medical induction.

First, you should realize that natural methods for inducing labor work. Therefore, they should never be used during the early trimesters of your pregnancy, and should not be attempted without the approval of your midwife,. Although natural labor methods are powerful, when used appropriately, they have less side effects then medication. Never use natural induction methods during the early months of pregnancy because they could lead to miscarriage.

When you are past 40 weeks pregnant and need to induce labor, natural methods have far less risks when compared to medication. Natural labor inducing methods include acupressure, walking, sexual intercourse, herbs, stripping the membranes, and nipple stimulation. These methods help to start labor through different mechanisms; for example nipple stimulation help increase natural hormones that stimulate labor, such as Oxytocin and Prostaglandins.

Medications used to stimulate labor are synthetic forms of the naturally occurring hormones, Oxytocin and Prostaglandin The brand name form of Oxytocin is Pitocin and the brand name forms of Prostaglandin include Cervidil and Prostin E2. These medications are associated with serious side effects and risks.

First, Pitocin is known for causing uterine contractions that are extremely intense, painful, and last for a long duration. Some other side effects associated with Pitocin include vomiting, nausea, cramping, and stomach pain. More serious side effects have also been reported. These serious side effects and risks include an irregular heartbeat in the mother, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, swelling, headaches, blurred vision, and seizures. There is also a chance that after childbirth the mother may develop severe bleeding.

Unfortunately, Pitocin may also cause serious side effects in your newborn. These include irregular heartbeat, jaundice in the eyes and skin, bleeding in the eyes, and seizures. If you notice any of these side effects in the baby, you must notify your doctor immediately.

The drug Dinoprostone is also known as Cervidil and Prostin E2. Synthetic forms of Prostaglandins, such as these, also have negative side effects. These come in suppository form and when inserted, you must lay down for at least two hours to ensure that he medicine softens the cervix. Sometimes it is necessary to repeat the procedure for up to two days.

Nausea and vomiting are common adverse reactions to Cervidil and Prostin E2. Common side effects include lightheadedness, dizziness, fever and chills. Some women may develop diarrhea and a fever as well. More serious side effects include trouble or difficulty breathing and a feeling of tightness in the chest. Many pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart disease, kidney and pelvic infections, and diabetes, may increase the occurrence of negative side effects.

Before you or your doctor consider medical induction, it is important that you are informed about the risks and side effects of the medications. One of the worst, and definitely the most disheartening, side effect of medical labor induction is that it could still take days for labor to begin. In some cases it does not even work. Another choice over medication, is using a natural method to induce labor. Most of these methods do not come with the negative side effects.