Of the 22 studies in the Cochrane Research Review, 6 looked at the effect of acupuncture on either a woman’s Bishop’s Score or the amount of cervical dilation alone. 5 of these studies showed that acupuncture did increase the readiness of the cervix for labor, and the Cochrane Review concluded that overall, acupuncture showed some benefit in improving cervical maturity.

The 5 studies that found a change in the Bishop Score or cervical dilation after acupuncture had a few things in common- in all but one study, women had 3 or more acupuncture treatments, and all point protocols included the point Sp 6 which is thought to influence cervical ripening (2, 3, 4, 5, 7). It is interesting to note that although the study by Gribel et al stated that no difference was found, the comparator group had misoprostol, a medication used to influence cervical readiness for labor. Acupuncture in this particular study resulted in the same cervical changes as the medication, but women having acupuncture had a lower rate of c-section, higher reported patient satisfaction and fewer obstetric complications despite having longer labors. These women had electroacupuncture for 30 minutes every 7 hours (5). Although the number of treatments these women received varied between 1-3 times, it is possible that the increased frequency or the added stimulation to the points (from electroacupuncture) resulted in more cervical changes.

In the one study in which no changes in Bishop Score were found after having acupuncture, the women had only two treatments (once daily in the 2 days before a planned induction (6)). This is not a schedule of treatments that is generally recommended by acupuncturists.

The results of the 6 studies that did look at Bishop Score or cervical dilation suggest that its ability to influence these outcomes might depend on timing and dosage. Overall, more studies are needed to determine the overall effect of acupuncture’s ability to influence cervical changes and Bishop Score.