Can an Induction Increase Your Chances of Tearing During Birth?
Raise your hand if one of your friends was induced (raises hand for all of my friends, clients and family members).
Now, raise your other hand if your provider has already mentioned induction…& you don’t have a clear medical necessity for being induced.
If you have both hands up, this statistic may not surprise you. A survey completed by Childbirth Connection found that 41% of women surveyed were medically induced.
My guess is that 41% of births may not have been in NEED of an induction.
Here’s the thing. In the absence of medical necessity, inductions can sometimes do more harm than good.
How so? To put it simply, sometimes your body and your baby just aren’t ready for birth. And, intervening in the physiological process isn’t always best for labor.
I’ll emphasize that we are talking elective inductions - meaning there’s no medical necessity. Situations where inductions are medically necessary are a completely different discussion.
While there are several potential issues that are associated with elective inductions, today I’ll focus on one.
For a complete breakdown on Inductions, Options and Risks, be sure to check out the Inductions module of my online birth courses.
Can an induction increase your chances of tearing during birth?
It may, and I’ll explain how...
Medical inductions are considered birth interventions. Here are a few examples of medical inductions:
Membrane sweep
Foley bulb inserted into your cervix
Ripening agents (i.e. the drug Cervidil)
Pitocin - administered via IV to artificially stimulate contractions
Once you start with one intervention, you’re statistically more likely to need additional interventions.
For example, if you’re induced with Pitocin, you have a greater chance of needing additional interventions during your labor, such as forceps, a vacuum or an episiotomy to get your baby out.
Tying it all together - how might this impact vaginal tearing during birth?
Episiotomies increase your risk of having a more significant vaginal tear during birth. In fact, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends against routine episiotomies.
“Episiotomy actually increased your risk of more significant tears, specifically third and fourth degree tears. That is a tear into the muscle of the rectum and through the rectum” (Today).
Does this mean that everyone who’s induced will tear? Not necessarily.
And that inductions are always ‘bad?’ Not at all. There are plenty of situations when medical inductions save lives.
My suggestion - familiarize yourself with your options.
Ask questions.
Know the risks, benefits and alternatives available to you at every step of the way.
Stay in the driver’s seat.