Near the end of yourpregnancy, your healthcare provider might start referencing something called a Bishop score.
This score is a system created to assess how your body is preparing forlaborand delivery.
Your healthcare provider will assess the position of your baby and monitor changes in yourcervixto determine your score.
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The score may be used to indicate if a successful vaginal delivery is likely.
The higher the score, the more likely you will have a successful induction.
In the days and weeks leading up to childbirth, your body starts to prepare for labor and delivery.
These signs help to show if your body is prepared for a vaginal delivery.
Usually the fetus also begins to move into position to prepare for birth.
The Bishop score takes all of this into account.
How Is the Bishop Score Calculated?
The Bishop scoring system assesses the cervix and fetal placement.
Potential scores range from zero to a maximum of 13.
The scoring system is based on five assessments completed by your healthcare provider.
Effacement
As your body prepares for childbirth, your cervix will begin to thin and shorten.
The average cervical length is about 3.5 centimeters.
Effacement describes the shortening of the cervix and is determined by percentages of the prelabor cervix length.
The effacement is assessed during a digital exam and given a score between zero to three points.
Station
The station describes the position of your babys head in relation to your pelvis.
Typically around two weeks before delivering, your baby will begin dropping into the birth canal.
When the head is at +3, the head is crowning and becomes visible in the birth canal.
Based on the fetal head position, your healthcare provider will rate this category from zero to three points.
Cervical Position
During the digital exam, your healthcare provider will assess the position of your cervix.
As your body prepares for labor, the cervix lowers to make way for the babys descent.
Cervical position is based on a rating scale from zero to two points.
Its given a score between zero and two points.
What Does the Score Mean?
The points add up to give you a score between zero and 13.
The higher the score, the more likely you are to have a vaginal delivery if induced.
The score is based on changes in your cervix before labor and the head position of your baby.
The primary purpose of the score is to estimate the likelihood of an induction resulting in a vaginal delivery.
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