Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionEffectivenessSafetyTips
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View All
Table of Contents
Definition
Effectiveness
Safety
Tips
Methodical nipple stimulation may be effective for starting contractions at full-term pregnancy, although there is limited research to prove its benefits.In one study, 50% of the postpartum participants indicated they tried this or other non-medical ways to induce labor.
This article explains how nipple stimulation to induce labor works, and when to discuss it with your healthcare provider or seek additional care in your late-term pregnancy.
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What Is Nipple Stimulation?
In pregnancy terms, nipple stimulation involves manually massaging the nipples, using a breast pump, or having another person (a nursing child or a partner) suck on the nipples to stimulate them.
Nipple stimulation is one of several nonmedical ways full-term pregnant people turn to in an effort to start the labor process.
How Does It Work?
Sometimes referred to as the “love hormone,” oxytocin is released when people have physical contact with other people. It also plays a role in:
Oxytocin stimulates the uterus to contract and begin labor. Oxytocin also increases the production of hormones calledprostaglandins, which further increases contractions.
The synthetic version of oxytocin, Pitocin, is frequently administered to pregnant people to induce or help progress the labor process.
The increase in oxytocin from nipple stimulation can cause contractions that may kick start labor if the pregnant person’s body is prepared to give birth.
Why Induce Labor?
Medical induction of labor is usually done when there is a need for it but can be done electively in certain situations. This may include:
Is Nipple Stimulation Effective For Inducing Labor?
There isn’t a definitive answer as to whether nipple stimulation is effective for inducing labor. There aren’t a lot of studies on the subject, and the ones that do exist have low sample sizes, are not extensive, and are out of date.
It is also difficult to measure the effectiveness of natural induction methods because they are performed when a person is full-term and they may have given birth whether or not they had tried to start labor using these methods.
What Do the Studies Say?
A 2015 study found that nipple stimulation appeared to shorten the length of labor and decrease the instances of cesarean sections. The study involved 390 pregnant participants and divided the participants into three groups:
Despite inconclusive evidence, many healthcare providers recommend it as an option for their clients who are full-term.
A study of 350 registered midwives in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada, found that 96% of those surveyed had advised clients to use nipple stimulation as a way of releasing the hormone oxytocin, and 80% believed nipple stimulation to be effective. Ninety-two percent of the respondents named labor augmentation as their reason for suggesting nipple stimulation.
Likelihood of Success
Most healthcare providers agree that nipple stimulation only has the potential to be effective if the pregnant person’s body is ready to give birth. Indications of this include:
Is Nipple Stimulation Safe?
During Pregnancy
During a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy, nipple stimulation is unlikely to cause premature labor or miscarriage. In fact, many people choose to breastfeed another child while pregnant.
While oxytocin is released with breast stimulation, in an uncomplicated pregnancy, the uterus only becomes sensitive to it when close to labor.
Breast or nipple stimulation is not advised during pregnancy if:
For Labor Induction
Using nipple stimulation to try to induce labor in a full-term, healthy pregnancy is generally considered safe.
There is, however, a possiblerisk of uterine hyperstimulation(when contractions come too close together), which could cause fetal distress.
Before trying nipple stimulation to induce labor, make sure:
No studies have been performed on the safety or efficacy of nipple stimulation to induce labor in people with high-risk pregnancies. Always check with a healthcare provider before trying any method of labor induction.
When to Call a Healthcare Provider
Call your healthcare provider or go to the hospital if you experience any of the following either before, during, or after trying natural induction methods:
How to Perform Nipple Stimulation to Try to Induce Labor
Manually
This technique is similar to hand-expressing breast milk when breastfeeding.
Breast Pump
Pumping may extractcolostrumfrom the breast—this is not a concern.
How Much Stimulation Is Recommended?There is no universally agreed-upon pattern for nipple stimulation, but one pattern that is recommended for either manual stimulation or pumping is:Stimulate for 4 minutes.Rest for 4 minutes.Repeat for 30 minutes.Rest for 30 minutes.If contractions do not start or increase after two hours, rest for an hour and try again.
How Much Stimulation Is Recommended?
There is no universally agreed-upon pattern for nipple stimulation, but one pattern that is recommended for either manual stimulation or pumping is:Stimulate for 4 minutes.Rest for 4 minutes.Repeat for 30 minutes.Rest for 30 minutes.If contractions do not start or increase after two hours, rest for an hour and try again.
There is no universally agreed-upon pattern for nipple stimulation, but one pattern that is recommended for either manual stimulation or pumping is:
If contractions do not start or increase after two hours, rest for an hour and try again.
Nipple Play
Breastfeeding
A Word From Verywell
The jury is still out on whether nipple stimulation is an effective way to induce labor. While some suggest there may be some benefits to nipple stimulation, the studies are sparse and include small sample sizes, outdated information, and other issues that make it difficult to make concrete conclusions.
In short, nipple stimulation may or may not help, but it probably won’t hurt in low-risk, full-term pregnancies.
Before trying nipple stimulation—or any form of natural or at-home labor induction methods—consult with a healthcare professional.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Demirel G, Guler H.The effect of uterine and nipple stimulation on induction with oxytocin and the labor process.Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2015;12(5):273-280. doi:10.1111/wvn.12116Chaudhry Z, Fischer J, Schaffir J.Women’s use of nonprescribed methods to induce labor: a brief report.Birth. 2011;38(2):168-171. doi:10.1111/j.1523-536X.2010.00465.xHarvard Health Publishing.Oxytocin: the love hormone.Mayo Clinic.Labor induction.Hodgson ZG, Latka P.Canadian registered midwives’ experiences with nipple stimulation: an exploratory survey in British Columbia and Ontario.Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 2020;42(7):861-867. doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2019.12.010Molitoris J.Breast-feeding during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage.Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 2019;51(3):153-163. doi:10.1363/psrh.12120La Leche League International.Breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing.Kavanagh J, Kelly AJ, Thomas J.Breast stimulation for cervical ripening and induction of labour.The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2005;2005(3):CD003392. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003392.pub2Takahata K, Horiuchi S, Tadokoro Y, Shuo T, Sawano E, Shinohara K.Effects of breast stimulation for spontaneous onset of labor on salivary oxytocin levels in low-risk pregnant women: A feasibility study.PLOS ONE. 2018;13(2):e0192757. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192757UT Southwestern Medical Center.The truth about “natural” ways to induce labor.Wheeler V, Hoffman A, Bybel M.Cervical ripening and induction of labor.afp. 2022;105(2):177-186.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Demirel G, Guler H.The effect of uterine and nipple stimulation on induction with oxytocin and the labor process.Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2015;12(5):273-280. doi:10.1111/wvn.12116Chaudhry Z, Fischer J, Schaffir J.Women’s use of nonprescribed methods to induce labor: a brief report.Birth. 2011;38(2):168-171. doi:10.1111/j.1523-536X.2010.00465.xHarvard Health Publishing.Oxytocin: the love hormone.Mayo Clinic.Labor induction.Hodgson ZG, Latka P.Canadian registered midwives’ experiences with nipple stimulation: an exploratory survey in British Columbia and Ontario.Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 2020;42(7):861-867. doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2019.12.010Molitoris J.Breast-feeding during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage.Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 2019;51(3):153-163. doi:10.1363/psrh.12120La Leche League International.Breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing.Kavanagh J, Kelly AJ, Thomas J.Breast stimulation for cervical ripening and induction of labour.The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2005;2005(3):CD003392. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003392.pub2Takahata K, Horiuchi S, Tadokoro Y, Shuo T, Sawano E, Shinohara K.Effects of breast stimulation for spontaneous onset of labor on salivary oxytocin levels in low-risk pregnant women: A feasibility study.PLOS ONE. 2018;13(2):e0192757. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192757UT Southwestern Medical Center.The truth about “natural” ways to induce labor.Wheeler V, Hoffman A, Bybel M.Cervical ripening and induction of labor.afp. 2022;105(2):177-186.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Demirel G, Guler H.The effect of uterine and nipple stimulation on induction with oxytocin and the labor process.Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2015;12(5):273-280. doi:10.1111/wvn.12116Chaudhry Z, Fischer J, Schaffir J.Women’s use of nonprescribed methods to induce labor: a brief report.Birth. 2011;38(2):168-171. doi:10.1111/j.1523-536X.2010.00465.xHarvard Health Publishing.Oxytocin: the love hormone.Mayo Clinic.Labor induction.Hodgson ZG, Latka P.Canadian registered midwives’ experiences with nipple stimulation: an exploratory survey in British Columbia and Ontario.Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 2020;42(7):861-867. doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2019.12.010Molitoris J.Breast-feeding during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage.Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 2019;51(3):153-163. doi:10.1363/psrh.12120La Leche League International.Breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing.Kavanagh J, Kelly AJ, Thomas J.Breast stimulation for cervical ripening and induction of labour.The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2005;2005(3):CD003392. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003392.pub2Takahata K, Horiuchi S, Tadokoro Y, Shuo T, Sawano E, Shinohara K.Effects of breast stimulation for spontaneous onset of labor on salivary oxytocin levels in low-risk pregnant women: A feasibility study.PLOS ONE. 2018;13(2):e0192757. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192757UT Southwestern Medical Center.The truth about “natural” ways to induce labor.Wheeler V, Hoffman A, Bybel M.Cervical ripening and induction of labor.afp. 2022;105(2):177-186.
Demirel G, Guler H.The effect of uterine and nipple stimulation on induction with oxytocin and the labor process.Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2015;12(5):273-280. doi:10.1111/wvn.12116
Chaudhry Z, Fischer J, Schaffir J.Women’s use of nonprescribed methods to induce labor: a brief report.Birth. 2011;38(2):168-171. doi:10.1111/j.1523-536X.2010.00465.x
Harvard Health Publishing.Oxytocin: the love hormone.
Mayo Clinic.Labor induction.
Hodgson ZG, Latka P.Canadian registered midwives’ experiences with nipple stimulation: an exploratory survey in British Columbia and Ontario.Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 2020;42(7):861-867. doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2019.12.010
Molitoris J.Breast-feeding during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage.Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 2019;51(3):153-163. doi:10.1363/psrh.12120
La Leche League International.Breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing.
Kavanagh J, Kelly AJ, Thomas J.Breast stimulation for cervical ripening and induction of labour.The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2005;2005(3):CD003392. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003392.pub2
Takahata K, Horiuchi S, Tadokoro Y, Shuo T, Sawano E, Shinohara K.Effects of breast stimulation for spontaneous onset of labor on salivary oxytocin levels in low-risk pregnant women: A feasibility study.PLOS ONE. 2018;13(2):e0192757. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0192757
UT Southwestern Medical Center.The truth about “natural” ways to induce labor.
Wheeler V, Hoffman A, Bybel M.Cervical ripening and induction of labor.afp. 2022;105(2):177-186.
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