Cheryl Lo realized early on that neither of her daughters' pregnancies would likely be easy. Motherly instinct – and an unshakable family tree – told her so.

"All three of my pregnancies were induced and medically necessary," recalls Lo, who is the women's service line director for Mount Carmel Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "Unfortunately, I developed hypertension during pregnancy."

What followed – three Cesarean sections, a uterine rupture and eventual hysterectomy at age 36 – hinted at rough times ahead for both Lo's daughters who, true to inherited history, were eventually induced for medical reasons (one to offset hypertension and the other to guard against gestational diabetes).

Induction initiates the physiologic process of labor. It shifts it into gear, using a variety of procedures that range from simple (breaking a woman's water) to complex (intravenous medications). Inductions are generally performed when there's less risk involved in proceeding with delivery than waiting expectantly for labor to begin on its own.

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