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Evening Primrose Oil  

post #1 of 8
11/9/05 at 8:15pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone have any stories to share about EPO? Did it work for you? Did it not work? Do you feel it is safe? Or not safe? And why? I have been taking it for a week now, both orally and vaginally and I wonder what the sucess rate is and if it is even worth it.
post #2 of 8
11/9/05 at 10:44pm
What kind of success are you talking about? Labor induction or thinning your cervix?

EPO does not induce labor, only ripens the cervix. It's safe. I used it during the last month of my pregnancy (with my first and only) and I was 80% effaced two weeks before dd.

It's recommended for first-time moms to give their bodies a little extra help preparing for labor.

HTH
post #3 of 8
11/10/05 at 12:54am
Thread Starter 
I just want to ripen my cervix. Did you take it orally, vaginally, or both? I am doing both. I don't expect it to make me go into labor. I'm planning a VBAC and would like to ripen things up a bit.
post #4 of 8
11/10/05 at 12:57am
My midwife said to take it the whole pregnancy to strengthen and tone my uterus (especially since I am VBAC'ing).
post #5 of 8
11/10/05 at 12:58am
Oh, and I'm taking it orally - two caps per day - now (17 wks) and will add vaginally at 36 weeks.
post #6 of 8
11/10/05 at 11:05am
I started taking it at 34 wks, and at 36 wks my MW said my cervix was "extremely soft". At 37 wks, I was 2 cm dilated and 90% effaced. Labor started at 38 wks. I went from 4 to 10 cm in 45 min for a first baby. I don't know whether EPO had anything to do with it, but it certainly didn't hurt any!
post #7 of 8
11/10/05 at 3:35pm
I took it orally only. I took about 180 gla per day (I don't know what gla means, I just remember I was supposed to look for a high gla on the label)!
post #8 of 8
11/10/05 at 11:07pm
I took it orally everyday- 2 capsules Berlean's brand. It is 100% safe- it supplies essential fatty acids to help the body work optimally in many aspects- cervical ripening being one. I never did it vaginally- my midwife said that if you are pretty sexually active you don't need to worry about doing it vaginally. It worked well for me- I was walking around 90% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated for a week or 2. I also started taking Red Raspberry leaf capsules the last 3 weeks or so.
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Mothering › Forums › Pregnancy and Birth › Birth and Beyond › Evening Primrose Oil