Hi everyone -There have been quite a few threads on taking castor oil to induce your pregnancy. I just wanted to share my research with you, so that anyone considering this can make an informed choice. However NO ONE considering this option to induce labor should take castor oil without talking to their health care provider first. Okay. Here we go:

WHY CASTOR OIL?

Castor oil is a vegetable oil derived from the castor bean. It has been used for a very long time to help ease constipation or even to induce vomiting. The theory of labor induction with castor oil is that the castor oil acts as a stimulant to the bowels, which is supposed to irritate the uterus and causes contractions.

DOES IT WORK?

To the best of our knowledge: no, maybe, probably not. Here is one study for 2009 that showed that the mothers received neither benefits/nor harm from taking castor oil. Here is a follow-up in 2013 that says, nope, it did nothing other than make all the moms-to-be extremely nauseous. There is one study from 2000 that was done on a small sample of about a 103 womenwhere castor oil was relatively successful as a way to bring on labor. So it kinda depends on which study you choose to believe. There are also both proven and anecdotal NEGATIVES from inducing with castor oil. For one, for sure you will spend many hours in the bathroom, with diarrhea and cramping. The fun part is that you may get nothing for your troubles other than dehydrated. Also there is some anecdotal evidence that taking castor oil may cause your baby stress, which could lead to just the medical interventions you were hoping to avoid.

THE TAKEAWAY

Before you decide to try to induce labor with castor oil, you should consult your doctor. Every pregnancy is different, and castor oil might be dangerous if you have other complications. If you do get the go-ahead, be sure to follow your doctor’s dosing recommendations. Typically, women are advised to take castor oil in the morning. That way, it’s easier to monitor your symptoms and for you to stay hydrated.Whatever you decide to do, please remember, babies are meant to be gestating for 39-40 weeks. So no matter how uncomfortable you are, if there is no sound medical reason for inducing, then the best thing you can do for your baby is to keep them IN YOU. Remember, once the come out, you cannot get them to go back in. (No matter how much you may want to ;).