text: Studies have shown a slight increase in risk of infant mortality for births in the 41st and particularly 42nd week of gestation, as well as a higher risk of injury to the mother and child. Due to the increasing risks of advanced gestation, induction appears to reduce the risk for caesarean delivery after 41 weeks' gestation and possibly earlier. Inducing labour after 41 weeks of completed gestion is likely to reduce the risk of perinatal death and stillbirth compared with waiting for labour to start spontaneously.
  Although there has been a recorded increase in the risk of perinatal death and stillbirth after 41 weeks of gestation, this risk is small. In fact, a study conducted in 2012 examined stillbirth rates in the state of California, and excluded babies with genetic or congenital problems. The study determined that the risk of stillbirth per 1000 births after 40, 41 and 42 weeks of gestation were 0.42, 0.61 and 1.08, respectively.
  Thus, it is important to acknowledge the probabilistic evidence when discussing formal medical inductions, because it highlights the how small the likelihood of having a stillbirth post-term is.
  Inducing labor before 39 weeks in the absence of a medical indication (such as hypertension, IUGR, or pre-eclampsia) increases the risk of complications of prematurity including difficulties with respiration, infection, feeding, jaundice, neonatal intensive care unit admissions, and perinatal death.