It should be noted that although these studies did find an improved Bishop Score and cervical maturity, the resulting improvements we would expect were not found. The idea of a Bishop Score is that the higher the score, the more likely it is that the labor induction will be successful or that the woman will spontaneously go into labor on her own. No difference was found in c-section rates, oxytocin augmentation or the need for other medications to induce labor. It may be that even though the change in Bishop Score was statistically significant, it was not enough to prove to be clinically relevant. This means that it was not enough to lead to a change in birth outcomes. I feel that a different treatment schedule which may lead to clinically significant changes should be further investigated, and is described in the following paragraphs.

Author’s Note: I would like to thank Debra Betts for her guidance and invaluable insight in analyzing the research in this section.