Prospective Observational Study to Determine the Effect of Membrane Stripping on the Bishop Score
Payal Raval, Sumedha Rawal, Santoshkumar Singh
A
BSTRACT
Background:
Membrane stripping is a mechanical technique used to promote the spontaneous onset of labor, providing a non-pharmacological alternative to formal labor induction. Despite widespread use, its short-term impact on cervical readiness, particularly in terms of the Bishop score (BS), remains underexplored.
Objective:
To evaluate the effect of membrane stripping on cervical ripening, as measured by changes in the BS over 12 hours in term pregnant women.
Methods:
This prospective observational study was carried out over 18 months at a tertiary care center in Pune, Maharashtra, India. A total of 145 term pregnant or a gestation of ≥37 weeks with singleton, cephalic presentations underwent membrane stripping following baseline assessment of the BS and a repeat examination 12 hours post-procedure.
Results:
Among the 138 participants, 75 (55.1%) showed an improvement in the BS to >6, indicating a favorable cervical status. Significant changes were observed in cervical dilatation (from 1.00 ± 0.00 to 1.80 ± 0.64), effacement (0.48 ± 0.66 to 1.33 ± 0.74), fetal station (0.36 ± 0.54 to 0.90 ± 0.70), and cervical position (0.40 ± 0.51 to 1.09 ± 0.66). Cervical consistency remained unchanged. The mean BS increased significantly from 4.24 ± 1.31 to 7.12 ± 2.14 (
Conclusion:
Membrane stripping significantly improved cervical ripening within 12 hours, particularly in terms of effacement and dilatation, making it a safe and effective adjunct to labor induction strategies. Further research is warranted to evaluate the change in the BS over different time durations.