can i request to be induced

[Catmum26]

i am 35+3. the past 3 weeks i have been in hospital having ctgs 2-3 times a week. firstly it was due to blood pressure being high at a routine midwife appointment and i was kept in overnight for monitoring.
i have had to go back twice a week for monitoring and a few times it’s been high enough to send me to the DAU at the main hospital. the past 3 days i have had to go in due to reduced movements and they have now requested an urgent scan for next week and a ctg every other day. i already had a growth scan on monday and baby is measuring about 6.5lbs already so he’s likely to be big. i have my 36 week midwife appointment on monday and i want to ask about the chance of me being induced before 40 weeks as tbh the stress of my inconsistent blood pressure and reduced movements is really getting to me and i’d feel happier having baby on the outside knowing he is well than the constant stress and worry thinking something is going to go wrong. does anyone know if these are good enough reasons to induce early?

sorry for the ramble!

I can only guess they haven't offered already because of how far along you are. At this point the baby would be premature. I think anything before 37 weeks is considered premature in the UK and the US.

In the US they redefined the last stages of pregnancy awhile back to:

Early Term, between 37 weeks and 38 weeks 6 days.
Full Term, between 39 weeks and 40 weeks 6 days.
Late Term, the 41st week.
Post Term, after 42 weeks.

yes sorry i should have added obviously i wouldn’t want to be induced before 37 weeks at the earliest unless it was an emergency. i’m just not sure if my reasons for wanting to be induced are valid as my blood pressure isn’t consistently high it’s all over the place and i’ve read some conflicting info on whether they induce for persistent reduced movements

I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to induce you at 37 weeks if things continue as they are. In my experience they are loathe to deliver baby before 37 weeks unless they absolutely have to so generally just want to monitor everything and not commit to a firm plan.

I would ask the consultant if they'll let you go to your due date if things carry on as they are or are they just hoping to get you to 37 weeks plus.

I had much less pronounced issues and the consultant told me they wouldn't let me go over my due date and would induce me at bang on 40 weeks. I had sweeps from 37 weeks too. A friend had recurrent BP issues and was induced at 37 weeks.

I had very similar issues to you in 3rd trimester. I was in and out due to hypertension on the verge of preeclampsia so they decided I was to be induced but at 39 weeks. They'd said there was no way they'd let me get to 40 weeks. (1 week didn't seem all that different at that point)
No harm in asking. Worst they can say is no.

I had twins so was never going to be allowed near full term! Induction was supposed to be 37w but they brought it forward by 4 days due to reduced fetal movements... however they were loathe to do so and only did it so as not to keep pushing it.. I was in and out of triage and they urged me to keep
Going for Ctgs in the first instance. I would imagine they will aim to get you to 37 as a minimum

I'm currently in this situation with an induction booked for bang on 40 weeks. I'm hoping to be able to move it up though as I'd like this baby born!

An induction at 37 weeks could very likely end up in a c section as your body may not be ready to labour at all, once they've started they can't go back. If they're happy to let you at least get to your due date, that would be a much better time to have an induction

If there's a medical reason for it, you could ask. I was induced at 40+1 for a combination of reasons, including large baby/ excess fluid. They offered it to me as an option and I grabbed the chance.
I did have a long labour and an emergency section though - I didn't dilate at all. I guess the risk of this is going to be higher the earlier they do it.

PS. I wouldn't try predict their reaction based on what you read -- in my experience all consultants have their own way of doing things, so the only way to know for sure is to ask.