Who knows if induction really makes your labours shorter. I was induced on my due date with my 2nd due to Sciatica, I was only given the gel once and had a 2.5hour labour, BUT I was already 3cm, soft and favourable as they say!!!
I didn't even think about my whether my waters had broken when having DS, the midwife did not intervene there so it mustn't be an absolute necessity to break your waters otherwise she would have done it I guess. She told me I could start pushing and 5 minutes before DS was born my waters broke. It was the most unbelievable sound and feeling. My 2nd labour was alot quicker than my 1st, but was that b/c it was my 2nd labour or was it b/c I was induced.... who knows! One thing for sure it did happen quickly and I wasn't allowed any drugs as I was too dilated. Was it more painful, I don't know as I had ALL the drugs with my 1st as she was posterior (9hr labour), my guess is the pain would have been the same.

I have a friend that swears by induction, she demands her OB induces her as she loves the quick labours. She gets the Drip staright away and has her babies very quickly. I don't agree with doing it just b/c you want to get it over and done with.

I've just had a SIL be induced (41+wks) and she went through 20 hours of agony. They gave her gel, broke her waters, gave her the drip, epi, it ended up a forceps delivery, so in her case it was not quick at all.

For me I'd prefer not to toy with nature, I loved going into labour naturally with my 1st, but I liked the quick labour with my 2nd.