Transcript: Did you know that one in five labors in the United States is induced? Here are the reasons why. Although nature usually controls when you go into labor, there are times when a doctor may decide that you and your baby would benefit from delivering sooner rather than later. Labor is induced by forcing your contractions to start, either with medication or through mild manual stimulation, a procedure called stripping the membranes. If you have a medical condition that may put you at risk for delivery complications—such as diabetes or high blood pressure—your doctor may plan to induce labor from the get-go. This will allow him to monitor your labor and to control the way it progresses so that you and your baby stay safe. If tests show that your baby has stopped growing normally, your doctor may decide to induce labor early. On the flip side, your doctor might also decide to induce if your baby is a week or more late. That’s because if your pregnancy lasts too long, your placenta can become diminished and may no longer be able to provide sustenance your baby. An over-long stay in the womb may also result in your baby breathing in fecal matter. Another reason why labor might be induced is if your amniotic sac ruptures—commonly known as your water breaking—but contractions do not begin. If labor does not begin within 24-hours of this event, complications can occur. Other conditions that may require labor induction, or even a C-section, include....An infection in your uterus, a baby that is lying sideways in the womb, a cord prolapse - whereby the umbilical cord drops into the vagina - and placenta previa - whereby the placenta is covering the cervix. Very rarely, labor may be induced for nonmedical reasons; for example, if you live very far from the hospital. Inducing labor for nonmedical reasons is controversial, however, as there are minor risks involved with the procedure. Whether your induction is planned or occurs unexpectedly, you can rest assured that once labor has begun, it will very likely proceed naturally.