How to Calculate a Bishop Score

Doctors and midwives use the bishop score to determine whether a pregnant woman should be induced. Inducement occurs when the mother is given special medicine to start the labor and delivery process. Inducement is favorable if the mother or child are in medical danger or if the child is overdue. A bishop score must be calculated by a medical professional. Do not try to determine your bishop score by yourself. Doing so could introduce bacteria into the vaginal canal.

Instructions

    • 1

      Examine the position of the cervix. If the cervix is tilted back, the bishop score is zero. If the cervix is tilted forward, the bishop score is two. If the cervix position is in-between, the score is one.

    • 2

      Feel the consistency of the cervix. If the cervix is firm, the bishop score is zero. If the cervix is soft, the bishop score is two. If the consistency of the cervix is in-between, the bishop score is one.

    • 3

      Check to see how far the cervix has dilated. If the cervix is normal, the bishop score is zero. If the cervix is dilated between 1 and 2 cm, the bishop score is one. If the cervix is dilated between 3 and 4 cm, the bishop score is two. Five centimeters or more is a bishop score of three.

    • 4

      Check the thickness of the cervix, also known as effacement. A cervix that is 0 to 30 percent effaced has a score of zero. A cervix that is 40 to 50 percent effaced has a bishop score of one. A cervix that is 60 to 70 percent effaced has a score of two. Anything above 70 percent will have a score of three.

    • 5

      Determine the position of the baby, also known as the station. If the baby is at a -3 station, the bishop score is zero. If the baby is at a -2 station, the score is one. If the baby is at a -1 or 0 station, the bishop score is two. If the baby is at a +1 or +2 position, the score is 3. When the baby is at a +2 position, it has already descended into the birth canal.

    • 6

      Add the results together to determine the bishop score. Add an extra point if the mother has preeclampsia or has had a vaginal birth before. Subtract a point if the baby is overdue, if vaginal birth has never occurred before, or if the membranes were stripped on more than one occasion.

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