Induction of Labor Using Castor Oil Cocktail – an Analysis of Real-world Data

Induction of labor is indicated when benefits of delivery outweigh benefits of prolonged pregnancy, which is not always welcomed by women. Castor oil is accepted as an "old household remedy" for labor induction but is not yet part of the official guidelines. Nevertheless, it is often used, mostly even before the women are admitted to the hospital. Data on its actual benefits and safety are missing. Upon accepting the real-world practice of applying castor oil cocktail for labor induction we added castor oil as one option of labor induction in our clinical routine for multiparous women at term, with a history of at least one vaginal delivery. Here we aimed to generate data on the effectivity and safety of castor oil in labor induction by analyzing the real-world data generated in our cohort.