What is my Bishop Score? When you are overdue and you healthcare provider is suggesting induction, this is one of the most important questions you should ask them before consenting. The current state of your cervix, coupled with other factors, will determine how soon the onset of labor may be. There are several ways to gauge how “ripe” your cervix is at any given time. The tallying of these factors is referred to as the Bishop Score. To see a simple chart to calculate your odds, go here: Bishop Score.
The total score is achieved by assessing the following five components:
*Cervical dilatation
*Cervical effacement
*Cervical consistency
*Cervical position
*Fetal station
With a possible score of 13, it has been recommended that a Bishop Score be greater than 9 for the induction to be most successful. Unfortunately, most women have no idea what a Bishop Score is or what theirs is before they consent to having an induction. If you are considering labor induction please inquire about your Bishop Score first. The reality is that the Bishop Score of many inductions do not even come close to being a nine or above. This makes the induction very difficult and success rates very low. The length of labor and the pain of labor may both be significantly increased when the Bishop Score was low before induction, and the woman will often be unable to handle the increased amount of stress. Know that a low score means that even artificial induction may prove unsuccessful and lead to the use of drugs, other interventions, and possibly cesarean.
If you are overdue, have your health care provider check the five components for you before consenting to artificial induction. If your score is lower than 9, consider trying more natural approaches to inducing your labor. For more information, see The Let’s Talk Pregnancy Blog Top Ten: How to Induce Labor Naturally as well as Let’s Talk About Reflexology During Pregnancy and Labor.