Castor Oil To Induce Labor: Effectiveness, Safetiness, and How To Use It – You may know castor oil as an oil to treat beauty or as a laxative. However, castor oil can also be used to induce labor.
Read also: Factors that increase risk of miscarriage.
About Castor oil
Castor oil comes from the seeds of castor (Ricinus communis). Castor oil contains ricinoleic acid, which is rarely owned by other plants. Such content that makes castor oil has many benefits for treatment, such as constipation, infection or skin disorders, aches and inflammations, and stimulates the immune system.
In addition, castor oil can also be utilized for non medical applications including:
- As an inhibitor of fungi, food additives, and flavoring substances.
- In addition to ingredients for skin care and cosmetic products such as shampoo, soap, and lipstick.
- Used in the manufacture of goods such as plastics, fibers, or paints.
Castor oil has a strong smell and is famous for its unpleasant taste. The side effects of these castor oils can be irritable and even dangerous, ranging from nausea to severe dehydration.
Castor Oil To Induce Labor.
Castor oil as a laxative has certain content that can stimulate peristalsis in the intestines that can help release prostaglandins that trigger contractions of the uterus. In addition, prostaglandins can also increase the absorption of fluid in the intestines, thereby encouraging contraction and petrifying the cervical widening.
Once you use castor oil, you will experience diarrhea after 2-6 hours of using the oil, with uterine contractions. When childbirth begins, the diarrhea will tend to subside. Although castor oil can stimulate childbirth, but the researchers consider castor oil to be not an effective induction for childbirth.
Reported from New Kids Center, the use of castor oil for induction of childbirth can lead to painful and irregular contractions. This condition can cause mothers and babies to become stressed.
In addition, there is also a possibility that babies born with induction will swallow amniotic fluid. In some cases, this may cause health disorders after birth.
Read also: Malnutrition during pregnancy effects on baby.
Is it effective for castor oil to induce labor?
A study published in alternative Health and medical therapies reported that more than half of the respondents in this study who received castor oil had worked before 24 hours, compared with only 4% of which began childbirth in Same period without encouragement.
Another larger study, published almost 10 years later, reported that Castor oil was not particularly useful for inducing labor.
Castor oil can be used for induction of labor, but not very effective. If effective, castor oil can cause irregular and painful contractions, which can make mothers and babies stress. This can cause fatigue and dehydration (due to continuous vomiting). Also, let your baby experience the specimen or the first dirt of the baby mixed with the amniotic fluid, before childbirth. This can cause health problems after birth.
If you want to try castor oil to induce labor, you should discuss it with your doctor first. Your doctor will notify you based on your health or pregnancy and the risk factors associated with pregnancy.
Is it safe for castor oil to induce labor?
If your pregnancy has passed 40 weeks or exceeds the approximate date of childbirth, the castor oil is used because at that time, the cervical area is already more softer and ready to for opening.
However, castor oil is not advised to induce labor for pregnancies that have not reached 37 weeks. Especially if your pregnancy includes high risk. Because, castor oil will provoke the occurrence of stomach ulcer, nausea and vomiting, to diarrhea. A number of researches founds, ricinoleic acid plays a role in encouraging the dilated of prostaglandin receptors, so that the uterus will be stimulated to contract.
Read also: 6 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms.
How to use castor oil to induce labor?
Castor oil is a liquid that is taken or used in food. The flavor and smell are very strong and often very difficult to drink yourself directly from the bottle. Many women drink it mixed with other drinks. Can be mixed with fruit juices, put in a smoothie or blended into cold food. Castor oil tends to work better when it is left cold.
Castor oil is sold freely and in drugstores. The castor oil dose starts from 2 teaspoons to several ounces. It can also vary among different providers. Midwives recommend 2 ounces mixed with other drinks to increase the bad taste. Castor oil needs to be drunk until intestinal cramps are felt. It may be easier to take the entire dose at once, then follow it with another drink for best results. Take the water to wash the oil left in the mouth. Following with a hot drink like tea can help remove oil, too.
After consuming the castor oil, the effect will appear within 2 to 6 hours. Cramps lasts about 1 to 6 hours and it may take 5 to 24 hours to start the labor contract. If contraction does not start within 24 hours, another dose may be required.
