After 40 weeks of pregnancy — and 40 weeks’ worth of pregnancy symptoms, almost none of which are getting any easier to manage — you might be looking for just about any natural trick to induce labor. One thing you may have stumbled across in your research? Castor oil.
But will castor oil really help induce labor, and more importantly, is it safe? In short: Yes, it might help induce labor, but no, it may not be safe to try.
Here's what moms-to-be need to know.
What is castor oil?
For thousands of years, women have turned to this thick, yucky-tasting concoction in the hopes of hastening baby’s arrival. Made from the seeds or beans of the plant Ricinus communis, also known as the castor plant, castor oil is a folklore method to encourage labor.
While research shows that castor oil can, in fact, bring on contractions, it also triggers a host of side effects, ranging from icky (diarrhea) to potentially dangerous (dehydration).[1]
How does castor oil help induce labor?
Castor oil is better known as a laxative than a labor-inducer — but as it turns out, it works on the uterus in much the same way that it does on the intestines, which can potentially speed up the labor process.
In studies of women who’ve given birth at least once at term, more than half of those who took a dose of castor oil went into labor within 24 hours — that’s compared to only 4% of those who didn’t glug it at all. But that doesn’t necessarily mean castor oil will induce labor for you: Almost half the women who received castor oil didn’t go into labor immediately.
What are the risks of taking castor oil to induce labor?
Unfortunately there’s no way to target castor oil so it induces labor without affecting the intestines. That means taking a dose can lead to some real tummy turmoil: diarrhea, an upset stomach, vomiting and cramping.
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Since diarrhea and vomiting can lead to dehydration, it’s important to be ready to drink lots of water to replace that lost fluid. But even if you stay on top of your water intake, the stress of severe cramping can be dangerous for your baby, potentially making his heart rate increase — and making you feel even more uncomfortable than you already were.
Some anecdotal evidence also suggests that castor oil passes through the placenta to your baby, which can make baby pass his first stool, called meconium, before he’s born. And that can potentially cause problems after birth.
But other research, including a study looking at more than 300 pregnant women, found that complications like meconium — or even nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, for that matter — were rare after a mom took castor oil.
The other potential risk of castor oil is that is can cause irregular, painful contractions. While any contractions at all may seem like a good thing, hours of irregular contractions — which aren’t real labor and don’t get you any closer to snuggling your baby — can be exhausting.
One of the most common side effects of castor oil, in fact, (after diarrhea and nausea) is exhaustion, which can make labor trickier when it does finally arrive.
Should you try castor oil to induce labor?
Like any other medical intervention in pregnancy, ask your health care provider first before trying castor oil. Depending on your health and any risk factors associated with your pregnancy, your doctor may have unique reasons for wanting you to forgo it.
If you do get the okay to try castor oil after you've passed your due date, follow your practitioner’s dosing recommendations. In most studies where labor was successfully induced, women received 60 milliliters (about 4 tablespoons, the upper maximum daily recommended amount) of the tonic, often mixed with orange juice to mask the taste.
It’s probably best to take the mixture in the morning, so you can monitor your symptoms, drink plenty of water and won’t be kept awake in the bathroom all night. And if the first dose doesn’t do it, don’t overdo it with another (or another). It is possible to overdose on castor oil, and too much can be poisonous.[2]
Just try to stay patient: Your baby will arrive eventually — even if it feels like that day will never come.
Is it okay to use castor oil as a laxative during pregnancy?
If you're constipated during pregnancy and are hoping castor oil can help get things moving, don't try it — or any other laxative, for that matter — before your due date without your doctor's okay. More likely, your doctor will ask you to up your water and fiber intake, or may recommend a stool softener.
You're better off avoiding the chance you unintentionally induce labor as well — you want to give your baby the best odds to be full-term when he is born, after all!
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