Is it worth it to get your membranes stripped??

So at my 39 week apt. my doc said that if i want we can try and strip my membranes. She said 50% chance it will work and i will be in labor within 24-48 hours or it will just irritate me and not work at all. I've been a fingertip dialated since i was 28 weeks. I've been having real contractions (no BH) since i was 28 weeks as well. My cervix is still high up, not thinned out, and only a fingertip still. She said if i can dialate myself to a 1, that we will try to stip my membranes and see if thats gonna get me going. If not then gonna induce that next week. Is it worth it to get them stripped?? Does it really hurt as bad as most women say?? Did it work or was it just a waste??

I had it done 3 times, never worked. But it didn't really hurt all that bad, just a little more uncomfortable.

I would never do it because i heard that it hurts and i've read some scary stories about your water leaking without knowing it and having very low amniotic fluid from it. but each to their own :/ your body will know when it's ready without having something that is completely not natural to force it a long.

if the decision was to be stripped or induced, i would get stripped. it does hurt and i dont plan on doing it with this baby but the pain lasts like 30 seconds or however long it takes and then you just feel violated lol. i say thats better then being induced!! and really, being stripped isnt going to do anything bad, it will either work or it wont! Go get stripped and then go do some stairs and deep squats(with assistance) it will help baby's head rub on the cervix! good luck!

Quoting MommaOfTwo-12.4,10.23:" So at my 39 week apt. my doc said that if i want we can try and strip my membranes. She said 50% chance ... [snip!] ... week. Is it worth it to get them stripped?? Does it really hurt as bad as most women say?? Did it work or was it just a waste??"

i am soooo happy you asked this cause im in kinda the same boat lol

I don't think it works until your body is ready. my midwife wouldnt even try it until I was a week overdue, but she didnt end up doing it then because my cervix was still high and hard. I ended up getting it done about 4 days later because I was to be induced the next day and I went into labour that night.
I'm not going to lie it hurt so bad. SO bad. but even getting checked for dilation was extremely painful for me.

It's not really that bad and it takes like five seconds. It's worth a shot.

Absolutely did not work with my first pregnancy.
Last time around thougn, i had the option of my doc trying or to go in and be induced because i was having issues with my kidney. I opted for the stripping and had my son the next morning. The chances of it causing issues is really not that big. Those things can happen regardless. as well as if your body isnt already ready, it wont do much.

Oh and it was pretty uncomfortable.

I had it done 3 times with my last pregnancy. Didn't do anything except make me want to punch my doctor it hurt so bad. This time I haven't bothered with it.

I would go for it. For me it wasnt a big deal. Its not fun but compared to how unconfortable you are now its nothing. But it was not painful at all, for me. I dropped within the hour though. so really what do you have to lose? Id try it again

I am going to do it, with my second the day i got it done 5 hrs later i had my baby girl, and now i am doing it with my third... So excited, 1 week

I had mine done at 4 days over due and I went in to labour the next day so I would deffo do it again! It was uncomfortable but over quickly, more of a shock than a pain for me. Good luck xXx

Thanks ladies for all the replies. I will still think on it seeing as i have until next Thursday(18th) to make a decision. Good luck to all you mommas!!

I had it done yesterday. It didn't hurt any more than being checked for dilation, it just lasted longer. I was 3 cm, & now I think I've started losing my mucous plug, but I haven't started getting any contractions.