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Does castor oil induce labour?

by Christine Hill

question
I am 36 weeks pregnant and I have heard that castor oil can induce labour. I was wondering if it is true and if there is any danger to my unborn baby if I was to drink it? I know that it is not recommended but I would like to know the risks.

answer
It was long-standing practice for midwives to administer 'OBE': Oil (castor), Bath and Enema, in an attempt to induce labour. Induction of labour, or augmentation/speeding up, is still sometimes used, artificially, but it is usually best to let nature take its course. There are, however, good reasons for trying to induce or speed up a labour, and these decisions should be in the hands of the health professionals.

It can be dangerous in some instances to try and interfere with the processes. The two old-fashioned methods of encouraging labour to start (administering an enema or drinking castor oil, both of which stimulate the bowels to produce prostaglandin) are no longer-recommended methods. No matter how desperate you are to start labour, don't try either of these.

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