Natural Ways to Induce Labor: Answers From Doctors

January 20, 2025  By: Women's Health Team

Pregnant woman in house touching belly

Content medically reviewed by Tani Berzins, MD and Zena Homan, MD

After 40 long weeks of pregnancy, you may feel tired, uncomfortable, and ready to hold your baby in your arms. If your due date is around the corner or has passed, you’re probably tempted to try some natural ways to induce labor. Before you get to work, talk with your provider. Some of the natural methods to stimulate contractions can cause unpleasant side effects, including gastrointestinal symptoms. Here’s what Tani Berzins, MD, family medicine physician at Essentia Health, and Zena Homan, MD, OB/GYN at Essentia Health, have to say about naturally inducing labor. 

How can someone induce labor naturally?

Dr. Homan: While there are plenty of natural methods you could try to bring on labor naturally, it is very hard to prove that any of them will work. Even though some people may swear by them, none of these home methods have been documented with evidence-based medicine to be consistently effective.

What misconceptions do people have about natural ways to induce labor?

Dr. Berzins: Some people believe natural ways to induce labor may result in less pain than medical inductors. However, labor and birth are often associated with some level of pain and discomfort, regardless of induction method. Also, natural induction is not better or worse than any other way of having a baby. The end goal, regardless of labor induction or delivery method, is for a happy, healthy baby and family.

Is exercise a safe way to bring on labor naturally?

Dr. Homan: It has been suggested that walking can help ease the baby into the pelvis, perhaps due to the force of gravity or the swaying and movement of the hips. Walking may actually only lead to cramping and contractions that resolve once the exercise stops and you are rehydrated. It does not actually cause labor, but it is certainly a safe thing to try. If your stroll does not jump-start labor, you may just be in better shape for when you do go into labor. 

Can sexual intercourse induce labor?

Dr. Homan: Although it is often said that sex causes labor, research has shown it is prostaglandin found in the semen that stimulates contractions. For this to work, you would not want to use a condom. However, there is other research suggesting that women who continue to have sex late into their pregnancy might carry their babies even longer than those who abstain. Given this contradicting information, the answer is to do what is comfortable and feels best for you. If sex brings on labor, more power to it! 

Are there foods that can help induce labor?

Dr. Homan: Raspberry leaf tea and black cohosh herbal remedies have been promoted to cause labor, but no studies have been done to establish the safety of any herbal treatments as labor inducers.Spicy foods also have no evidence to suggest they cause labor, but they sure might cause reflux!

Lastly, dates may only work as a laxative and have no evidence to support the claim that they cause labor. Talk to your OB provider first before consuming these products.  Other natural methods, even ones that have been handed down for generations, have potential drawbacks. Before you try these at home, discuss them with your OB provider first. Remember: Even if you don’t go into labor on your own, you won’t be pregnant forever. Be patient and know you’ll meet your baby soon, one way or another.

Is castor oil a safe way to induce labor naturally?

Dr. Berzins: No. Castor oil was used in the past, but it’s not recommended anymore. Castor oil does cause contractions to induce labor. Unfortunately, it does that by causing severe gastric distress. If you use castor oil to induce labor, you’ll experience diarrhea and vomiting at the same time you’re trying to push your baby out. This is not effective or comfortable. No one wants their birth experience to include diarrhea or vomiting.

Is there another natural way to induce labor?

Dr. Homan: Stimulating, tweaking or twisting your nipples for several hours a day can release your own natural oxytocin and bring on contractions, but it may not be very comfortable. It can also cause painfully long and strong contractions, so only use this method if your provider advises it and is monitoring your progress. Be sure to ask first! 

What is most important to know about natural ways to induce labor?

Dr. Berzins: Talk with your provider about any natural methods you want to try to induce labor. Remember, there isn’t a best or right way to have a baby. The end goal is that mom and baby are healthy.

How do you and the team at Essentia Health provide the birthing experience patients want, from labor induction to holding a new little one for the first time?

Dr. Berzins: We have discussions with mothers-to-be throughout the pregnancy. Topics we discuss include –

  • Birth plans. We help patients create a plan and explain that birth plans are flexible, in case labor and delivery come with surprises and we need to take measures to protect mom and baby.
  • Induction techniques. We go over medical and natural ways to induce labor, as well as the option to let labor come without any sort of induction.
  • Pain control. We talk about options for managing pain in the labor and delivery process.

These conversations help us understand the family’s hopes and dreams. We also provide a tour of the birthing center so future parents can see where they’ll first meet their new little ones. 

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