Castor oil to induce labour - what are the risks?

[Ragtaggle]

I'm five days overdue and my midwife this morning suggested that I take castor oil with orange juice to speed things along. I know it induces diorreah which doesn't make me mad keen anyway but I'm just wondering if there are any other risks that anyone knows of. I read somewhere that it can make labour more painful and I'm hoping for a home birth so want to avoid that but can anyone advise on whether this is true or not? And does a hot curry carry the same risks? I am keen to avoid induction as I hate hospitals with a passion

I'm five days overdue and my midwife this morning suggested that I take castor oil with orange juice to speed things along. I know it induces diorreah which doesn't make me mad keen anyway but I'm just wondering if there are any other risks that anyone knows of. I read somewhere that it can make labour more painful and I'm hoping for a home birth so want to avoid that but can anyone advise on whether this is true or not? And does a hot curry carry the same risks? I am keen to avoid induction as I hate hospitals with a passion

Sorry - didn't mean to post that twice!

labour + diarrhea = not nice labour, not to mention messy!!!

I wouldnt bother if I were you. You do't want diahorrea as well as being pg!!!! Not nice. I am surprised at your mw for suggesting it. Try sex and curry (But not at the same time!!! Could be messy!.) Far more enjoyable.

Been there. Done that. Not nice. Doesn't work. Don't bother.

DOn't do it - friend did, and ended up with poo all over her baby. Not nice. Try sex instead - has the prostaglandin hormone in semen, and you produce oxytocin, both hormones used in induction of labour. More pleasant than castor oil anyway!

Remember, you don't have to be induced if you don't want to! I went 14 days over with dd and had homebirth.

I was that desperate i did the caster oil thing as i did not want to be induced, it was my first birth experience is well.

I did have the ahem poos but that was only when i first woke up in labour at 4am i just sat on the toilet for about 15 mins and it all came out so to speak (sorry if tmi) after that i had a nice bath and i was fine, it did not affect me after that and i went to the hospital at 10am, i was quite glad i had taken it and cleared my self out as i had stitches and i was so scared to go for a number 2 but because of that i did not need one for 1 week.

It's not advised to take it but my experience was not gross or bad and my birth was fine. everyone is different though

My midwife has just suggested I take two teaspoonfuls of castor oil in pineapple juice. I think it basically works the same way as curry: stimulates the bowel, which in turn hopefully stimulates the uterus into action.

I would have thought it should work the same way as an enema or the such like, clearing you out before the main action gets going.

Just to update...didn't do the castor oil but ate a pineapple at lunch time. Waters broke an hour ago. DD1 packed off to nanny, house all ready - watch this space! Midwife tells me that with second labours after the waters break the baby isn't far behind. We'll see, shall we?

oh how exciting, do you have any contractions yet? to be honest i think these babys come when they feel the time is right. Goodluck will be looking out for your birth story, do you know if it is a boy or girl ?

Message withdrawn

Good luck! Look forward to some good news soon!

good luck, I hope this is it for you!
glad you didnt try the castor oil-not really worth risking your babys life for is it.cant beleive your m/w suggested it, she should be struck off for saying that
good luck x

It's a pretty well known method of 'home induction', practised for years and suggested by many midwives of many years standing. It may not be pleasant, but it's unlikely to cause foetal death.

Its proven that it can easily cause baby to pass meconium whilst still inside mum, it may be still widely encouraged by many sites online but practising midwifes should absolutely not be recommending it.

Mary Cronk's comment on the subject:

"The active ingredient of castor oil is ricinic acid. The pharmocological name is oleo ricini. It is a powerful laxative and acts by stimulating the gut. If labour is not far off castor oil will stimulate the uterus to contract - Castor oil contractions - this will give the uterus enough of a "kick Start" to start off labour. As it is often used when a pregnancy is post term there is often meconium in the liquor This is not sinister. It is a feature of the postmature fetus Its gut has matured amd it has passed meconium. This is not in itself a sign of fetal distress.

Before the days of of synthetis oxytocic drugs we used "ol ric" frequently to start, and augment labours. I still suggest it to women occasionally.

The dose is 25-30 mls It is disgusting to take. I mix it with a similar amount of a sour fruit juice, lemon or grapefruit, shake it up, give it to the victim to swig, then pass her a tissue to wipe her mouth, then give her a dry biscuit to eat. I took it myself on two occasions - YUK YUK YUK"

Also:

"Of course, like anything else there are contraindications and I carefully question the woman as to:

Why she wants to encourage her baby to be born before the spontaneous onset of labour.
Has she any history of irritable bowel syndrome or any other gut problems
Has she any piles or any history of piles.
I then offer to examine her vaginally to assess the cervix as in my experience if the Cx. is not ripe the castor oil is unlikely to start labour. I also check the presentation and station of the head and would advise not to proceed if the presentation was other than cephalic and well in the pelvis. There is a danger of cord prolapse if any labour starts with a malpresentation and a high presenting part and therefore if castor oil is taken and there is a prolapse of cord, the castor oil is blamed ."

Use of castor oil in pregnancies at term.

Garry D, Figueroa R, Guillaume J, Cucco V.

Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NY, USA.

CONTEXT: Despite wide use of castor oil to initiate labor, the obstetric literature contains few references to this botanical laxative. Derived from the castor plant Ricinus communis, castor oil may possess properties that are useful in post-term pregnancies. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between the use of castor oil and the onset of labor. DESIGN: Prospective evaluation. SETTING: A community hospital in Brooklyn, NY. PATIENTS: A total of 103 singleton pregnancies with intact membranes at 40 to 42 weeks referred for antepartum testing. Inclusion criteria included cervical examination, Bishop score of 4 or less, and no evidence of regular uterine contractions. INTERVENTION: Patients were alternately assigned to 1 of 2 study groups: a single oral dose of castor oil (60 mL) or no treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Castor oil was considered successful if labor began within 24 hours after dosing. Groups were compared for onset of labor in 24 hours, method of delivery, presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid, Apgar score, and birth weight. RESULTS: Fifty-two women received castor oil and 48 were assigned no treatment. Following administration of castor oil, 30 of 52 women (57.7%) began active labor compared to 2 of 48 (4.2%) receiving no treatment. When castor oil was successful, 83.3% (25/30) of the women delivered vaginally. CONCLUSIONS: Women who receive castor oil have an increased likelihood of initiation of labor within 24 hours compared to women who receive no treatment. Castor oil use in pregnancy is underreported worldwide. This small series represents the first attempt to evaluate the medication.

This doesn't, admittedly, give an idea of any increase in meconium staining, but an entry in the Cochrane database indicates that while the subject needs further investigation, use appears harmless.

"In the one included study of 100 women, which compared a single dose of castor oil versus no treatment, no difference was found between caesarean section rates (relative risk (RR) 2.31, 95% CI 0.77, 6.87). No data were presented on neonatal or maternal mortality or morbidity. There was no difference between either the rate of meconium stained liquor (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.25,2.36) or Apgar score < 7 at 5 minutes (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.02,45.71) between the two groups. The number of participants was small hence only large differences in outcomes could have been detected. All women who ingested castor oil felt nauseous."

I'm sure I saw something from Mears about this a while ago (last year) and she came up with some very convincing arguments why you should not take castor oil to avoid induction. I believe she had seen the after effects in a number of women.

Another thing to try is to get your breast pump out and start pumping. A couple of my friends say it worked for them..... However, my ds was 12 days overdue and we tried everything but to no avail and I ended up being induced. As a result of my experience I tend to think that if db doesn't want to come out then he/she won't budge!

Good luck!

Looking through the archives, there are some old messages on the subject in which she says that she wouldn't recommend it because it can cause stomach pain. Also that the baby won't come until it's ready anyway - and you might end up in labour emitting a stream of diarrhoea.

Mary Cronk's blurb suggests that there are contra-indications too - depending on the specific situation.

I'm not saying it's a great plan (have yet to indulge, myself...) - particularly if tried too early - but I think that saying it can cause foetal death and a midwife who recommends it should be struck off are just not born out by information on the topic.

bump

My mum did with her 2nd = worst labour. Terrible. Curry also = poo though!

Oh, just read the thread now. Good luck!

MI, thanks! (Ragtaggle is my sister and is trying to relax with a nice glass of wine like her lovely midwife advised her to - her waters broke yesterday and she has had a stressful afternoon with a dr trying to admit her to hospital when she wants a home birth. I am a cat on bricks!

friend tried castor oil to induce a home birth. She was also craving bombay mix at the time, so she was sick all over her bedroom throughout labour. not nice to have bombay mix everywhere.