Labor and Delivery at Baptist Health Lexington
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Learn MoreSafely Induce Labor in Lexington, Kentucky
Baptist Health Lexington: Safely Induce Labor
The safest time to induce labor is at approximately 39 weeks, or 1 week prior to your due date. Learn more about labor induction and safety with Baptist Health.
Safely Induce Labor in Lexington, Kentucky HealthTalks Transcript
Mary Beth Baylon, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology:
It’s recommended that someone can have an elective induction of labor anytime 39 weeks or later, so one week prior to your due date or later.
We probably date pregnancies ideally by knowing the patient’s first day of their last menstrual period. Then we confirm that with an ultrasound when they believe they’re about eight weeks based on that period. If the patient doesn’t know the first day of their last period, or if they have irregular periods, we try to use an ultrasound as early as possible in the pregnancy.
Indications for delivery prior to 39 weeks are numerous, but some common indications for delivery prior to 39 weeks would include if a patient has issues with blood pressure and pregnancy, whether that’s a prior diagnosis or a new diagnosis; if they have any issues with diabetes, whether that’s diabetes that they knew they had before they got pregnant or something diagnosed during pregnancy; or different issues with the placenta, whether it’s implanted lower in the uterus or over the top of the cervix. Then, other indications would involve the fluid amount surrounding the baby, or if we’re concerned the baby’s size is drastically lower than what we would expect at that gestational age.
Here at Baptist Health Lexington, we always want to assure the best experience for our patients and their families and ultimately assure safety for them and their children. Part of that includes trying to limit doing any type of elective induction prior to 39 weeks.
