Inductions happen for lots of good reasons – but also some not so good ones. Unless there’s a medical reason to do so, you shouldn’t be induced before 39 weeks’ gestation. Even at 39 weeks, induction might not be the best idea unless your body is ready for labor. Checking your cervix can help determine this. Otherwise, it might be better to wait until 41 weeks. After 41 weeks’ gestation, it’s unusual that going any further makes much sense due to increasing risks for the baby and no benefit to the mother in terms of decreased Cesarean rate (in fact, the risk of Cesarean actually goes up for most women after 41 weeks).
Sometimes you might need to be induced much earlier, but it should be because you have a medical problem like high blood pressure or some other complication.