What are the risks of induced labor for pregnant women?

During pregnancy, there may be an emergency situation where labor induction is needed. Doctors will recommend that pregnant women undergo labor induction to avoid health problems or death of the fetus. So what are the risks of induced labor for pregnant women?

Reasons for induced labor in pregnant women

Your water has broken: If your water has broken but there are no uterine contractions, this is dangerous for the fetus and may cause suffocation, so induced labor is needed.

Placenta degeneration: If your placenta has begun to degenerate, it may have shaved off part or all of the uterine wall, causing placental abruption. In this case, nutrients cannot be properly delivered to the baby, which may lead to stillbirth or other health problems.

Too much time past the due date: If your due date has passed half a month ago but there are no signs of labor, this can cause the baby to grow too large in the uterus, interfering with natural delivery and leading to an emergency cesarean section.

Uterine infection: If your uterus becomes infected during pregnancy and affects the health of the fetus, the doctor will recommend induced labor to get the baby out of the uterus as soon as possible and receive treatment.

Because of too little amniotic fluid: If there is too little amniotic fluid around the fetus, the baby cannot thrive smoothly. Inducing labor at this time can avoid growth problems in the fetus and reduce the chance of birth defects.

Pregnancy complications: If the pregnant woman has high blood pressure or gestational diabetes, which may put the fetus in danger, induced labor may be required to reduce the risk of fetal complications.

Fetal growth has stopped: If your fetus has stopped growing as fast as expected, this could result in fetal death, so emergency induction of labor may be necessary.

Risks of induced labor in pregnant women

Labor is not progressing: Induced labor is usually long and painful. If multiple inductions fail to produce a successful delivery, an emergency cesarean section may be required to avoid danger.

Fetal distress: After induction, the baby's heart rate needs to be confirmed and monitored continuously. If the baby shows any signs of distress, such as a fast heart rate, too little oxygen from the umbilical cord, or rapid contractions, this may cause the baby to be too stressed and require a cesarean section.

Uterine rupture: Although rare, some medications used to induce labor can cause serious complications, such as the uterus rupturing along the scar from a previous cesarean section or uterine surgery.

Precautions after induction of labor

After induced abortion, pay attention to vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, fever, chills, etc. If vaginal bleeding lasts for more than 1 week, seek medical treatment immediately.

Strengthening nutrition and paying attention to rest are essential. Women who have undergone induced labor are equivalent to giving birth to a child. Do not participate in physical labor too early, otherwise, it is easy to fall into the root cause of "uterine prolapse". You should rest for at least half a month, and also pay attention to preventing colds and colds to promote the body to recover as soon as possible. It is generally recommended to wash your hair with warm water 2 weeks after induced labor.

Take measures to stop the milk production in time. After abortion or induced labor, the brain will temporarily control the secretion of prolactin to stimulate the body to produce milk due to the regulation of hormones in the body. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to stop the milk production in time after induced labor. You can take vitamin B6 orally, 200 mg each time, 3 times a day, for 3 consecutive days, or boil malt and drink it. For women with more milk secretion, you can go to the hospital for a milk-suppressing injection or use Chinese medicine to stop the milk production.

After induced abortion, pay attention to the cleanliness of the vulva to prevent infection.

It is not advisable to have sexual intercourse or take a bath within one month after induced abortion to avoid bacterial growth and infection, which is not conducive to the woman's physical recovery.

Pay attention to contraception after resuming sexual life. Since women's ovaries will resume ovulation about 30 days after induced abortion, once women resume sexual life, they must take appropriate contraceptive methods to avoid getting pregnant again.