Castor Oil and Pregnancy

Castor oil and pregnancy have a very old relationship. For more than 100 years now, castor oil is used to induce labor. It is considered to be one of the most effective and safe means for labor induction. Read on to get a detailed picture about its use and side effects.

When there were no proper medical facilities, people used to cure themselves with natural herbs like medicinal leaves, fruits, seeds, etc. Castor oil plant was one of those thousand herbs and was used to induce labor. By this you can understand the significance of castor oil in our life. Castor oil and pregnancy are related in the sense that it is used in inducing labor pain at the time of emergency or if the delivery due date is over. Not only this, castor oil also helps in stimulating the bowel movement and is considered to be a good skin care agent.

Castor Oil and Pregnancy Induction

Normally when the due date for delivery comes, the woman gets the labor pain by herself. But in some cases, even after the 40 weeks of pregnancy there is no sign of labor pain. So for such women, there is a need of inducing labor pain. Castor oil is used for this purpose and hence, castor oil and induce labor are very much connected to each other. Castor oil is extracted from the castor beans. It is actually a laxative to stimulate bowel movements but this results in cramps and tightening of muscles. These cramps also affect the muscles of uterus and stimulate contraction which further induce labor. Read castor oil benefits and uses for more information. These are the benefits of castor oil and early pregnancy is the stage when you should avoid its consumption as a laxative. It is advised, not to use castor oil before the due date or without consulting the doctor.

How to Use Castor Oil?

Castor oil has a very unpleasant taste and odor which may result in vomiting and nausea. To avoid this, you should take it with something which can minimize the effect of its disgusting taste. Following are some of the ideas to take castor oil.

Take castor oil shots as suggested by the doctor and suck lemon immediately.

Mix castor oil shots with vodka or with milkshake.

Suck or lick ice before having castor oil shots so as to make the tongue numb so that you do not get the taste of castor oil.

You can also have castor oil with concentrated orange juice. Drink lots of water after having the juice.

Ice cream lovers can blend ice cream with castor oil.

Is Castor Oil Safe and Effective?

When talking about effectiveness, castor oil proves very effective in inducing labor. For some it is effective in just one dose and some may have to take more than two doses. Although castor oil induction is being used for years, its side effects have conflicting results. For some it may result in severe side effects and in some it may be very helpful. Following are some of the side effects of castor oil.

Castor oil stimulates bowel movement which may lead to excess dehydration.

Contraction may, in some cases, put stress on the baby also.

Secretion of meconium which is the first bowel movement of the baby in the amniotic fluid. However there is no proof for this side effect.

It may result in vomiting and nausea which can create problem if the labor has started.

The worst side effect is when the woman is experiencing all the side effect but no sign of labor pain.

I hope that from the above article, you were able to understand the relation between castor oil and pregnancy. Although there are many other ways for inducing labor like pitocin etc., but still many people prefer using castor oil. You can easily get this oil from any medical shop but it is very necessary to consult the doctor before consuming it.