Why 1 in 3 births are induced, and how life-saving care is linked to complications

Induction rates are rising

In Australia, the share of births involving induced labour increased from 25% in 2010 to 33% in 2023. For first-time mothers, the rate climbed from 30.6% to 39.7%.

Induction may involve synthetic hormones such as prostaglandin or oxytocin, a balloon-shaped catheter to open the cervix, or breaking the bag of water around the baby. It can be life-saving when medically recommended, including when blood pressure suddenly rises, fetal distress occurs, or pregnancy continues beyond 41 weeks.

The World Health Organization recommends offering induction to healthy pregnant women after 41 weeks because of stillbirth risk. The article also says Australian hospitals are inducing women at earlier stages of pregnancy and more often without a medical reason.

What the study found

Researchers compared survey responses from 5,230 women whose labour began spontaneously with those of 2,561 women whose labour was induced. They adjusted their analysis for demographic, medical, obstetric and mental health factors.

Limits and informed decisions

The research was observational and based on a self-report survey, so it cannot establish that induction caused the outcomes. Other factors, including the reason for induction, may have contributed; the researchers also relied on women’s reports rather than clinical records.

Because participation was voluntary, the findings may not reflect all women’s experiences. The study did not specifically examine stillbirth; 28 respondents said their baby died during labour or birth, or afterward, and the researchers did not report further on this given survey-response limitations.

Women receiving midwifery continuity of care had the lowest induction rates among the care models studied. The researchers say such relationships may also help identify concerns earlier, and stress that women need balanced information about benefits, interventions and physical and psychological effects.