Can an internal examination bring on labour??

Question

i am 38 weeks pregnant. Last night I went to the hospital as I thoguht I may have been leaking amniotic fluid. It turns out that I wasnt. However they carried out an internal exam in order to check - rather like a smear test and took a swab to check for infection (routine and nothing to worry about). My question is could this set labour off??Please relay your personal experiences and if so how long did it take for labour to start?

I am happy to go into labour at this time as the baby is big and I am very uncomfortable. BTW the doctor says I am not dilated. Thanks!

Answer 1

it could but i think its unlikely for you to go into labour.. i had lots of tests like you have had, when i had my son. and it didnt bring on my labour.. if your doctor says that you are not dialted then you will probably go by your self in the next few weeks..

the only way really for you to go into labour by having an internal is if they were to do a strech and sweep but you have to be dialted to have that.. i would say your baby isnt ready yet so dont worry..

Answer 2

I had an internal examination (the same as you, as well as the group b swab)

I was not dilated at all, and it has not bought on labour for me at all!

I don't think it's normal for it to anyway.

Answer 3

Only if your body was otherwise ready to go.

"Going into labour" isn't something that just spontaneously happens as the result of one single event - it's the end result of a series of things and is actually initiated by your baby.  

No one quite knows how it happens (at least at this point in time but I'm sure medical science will figure it out one day - this will help A LOT in preventing premature labour) but there is strong evidence that hormones released by the baby trigger labour by "telling" the mother's body to start producing oxytocin and prostaglandin.  These two hormones cause the cervix to thin out and dilate, and the uterus to contract.

Unless these two hormones are present, labour won't actually get underway.

Introducing synthetic versions of these hormones assists when a labour is induced, or after the waters have broken and a natural labour slows down or stops.

So you can see how eating spicy food, walking, taking castor oil etc are pointless unless you are actually ready.  

Labour is initiated and controlled by hormones.