How much castor oil is needed to induce labour?

There are reports of castor oil being used to bring on labour as far back as the Egyptians, though how it works is poorly understood. The most commonly given explanation is that it acts as a powerful laxative, and when it stimulates the gut it also stimulates the uterus and so "kick starts" labour.

Is it safe?

Nausea is likely to be the immediate effect, followed by a bad case of diarrhoea and there is a risk that you will become dehydrated. For this reason, we would NOT recommend taking castor oil.

Does it work?

A study of 100 overdue women found that 57.7% began active labour after a single dose of 60ml of castor oil, as opposed to 4.2% who received no treatment. Another small study found that taking castor oil had no adverse affects on mother or baby. Neither study was of a large enough scale to be conclusive.

How do I try it?

This is one we would NOT recommend but, according to a survey of midwives, 4 fl oz of castor oil mixed with orange juice is the usual dose. It is revolting (very oily) to drink though some suggest that making it fizzy by adding ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda helps. A second dose can be given 12 hours later.

heard it can be quite dangerous hun so please be careful x

I wouldn't use castor oil at all - I have heard dreadful stories about it. I have a 6 week old daughter and sex worked for me. I was a week before my due date and had sex twice in a row (once on a Thursday and once on the Friday night) and on the Saturday morning, I woke up with contractions and my baby arrived that evening. There is something in sperm which makes baby come out - the same stuff they give you to induce labour - I know this might be the last thing right now but it works!!!!!!!! Walking helps too - brings baby down faster. Good Luck!!!!

For me it worked. I was over due by about 1 day then 3 days. I mixed mines with hot tea. I started to have a few contractions at about 10 at night. 11 I was in the bathroom for like 20 minutes went to sleep woke back up at 3in the morning at 5 I was having contractions every 2:30 seconds but it does work and I swear by it now.

dont try again. My mom had the same problem with me. She was put on bed rest for months, because she almost gave birth too early, then i was late and she had to have induced labor if i didnt come soon. so she did the opposite of what they told her too. instead of lying around in bed she walked up a huge hill and back. By the next day she was in labor. Give it a shot! (if there are no hills near you, or thats not your thing, try some other type of exercise.) Good luck!!

castor oil won`t hurry things along any quicker. i`m afraid its just another old wives tale. the best thing to encourage labour is a gentle walk!

hope the baby decides to come along soon, it can`t be much fun being overdue while its so hot. good luck to her!

Please don't make her do it, all that will happen is she'll be violently sick! If she wants to get things moving tell her to have lots of sex!! Sperm contains prostaglandins, the same thing that is used to induce labour in hospitals, or she could ask her midwife to sweep her membranes, that quite often gets things going. Good luck!

No!! Yuck!! Don't do it! It's awful. The reason it works at all is because it causes her to throw up or poo out everything she's ever eaten, and that starts labor mostly because she is dehydrated! I tried it too, it's awful. The doctor will induce her if she really needs to be. Don't do something at home with advice from us!

Have her call her doctor and ask how much to take. How much she takes depends on her size. My step-sister took some to help induce labor and it worked. She said it does taste nasty though.

don't do it !!! all it will do is induce a severe bout of diarrhoea which is what triggers the labour and it will be a nasty experience! try nipple stimulation get her to twiddle her nipples between her forefinger and thumb for as long as she can be bothered!

Don't do it!

It could cause her to become dehydrated and if that happens she will start to absorb amniotic fluid, which obviously is dangerous for the baby.