Labor & delivery
Bishop Score Calculator
Been told a Bishop score before an induction and want to know what it means? Enter the five cervical-exam values your provider gave you — dilation, effacement, station, consistency, and position — to add up the 0–13 score and see whether the cervix is "favorable" for induction. It's educational, not a diagnosis, and everything is worked out on your own device.
The five values come from a cervical exam a clinician performs — enter the numbers your provider gave you. This explains the score; it isn't a decision about whether or when to induce.
Bishop score calculator
The Bishop score is a published clinical score based on a cervical exam. This is general information, not a diagnosis or a decision about whether or when to induce — thresholds are general guides, and different guidelines draw the line slightly differently. Discuss your score with the clinician who examined you.
The scoring
How the Bishop score is added up
A clinician rates five things on a cervical exam and adds the points. Each component scores 0 to 3 (consistency and position top out at 2), for a total from 0 to 13. Here are the published point values (Bishop, 1964).
| Component | 0 pts | 1 pt | 2 pts | 3 pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cervical dilation | Closed (0 cm) | 1–2 cm | 3–4 cm | 5+ cm |
| Cervical effacement | 0–30% | 40–50% | 60–70% | 80% or more |
| Fetal station | −3 | −2 | −1 or 0 | +1 or +2 |
| Cervical consistency | Firm | Medium | Soft | — |
| Cervical position | Posterior | Mid-position | Anterior | — |
8–13 · Favorable
A 'ripe' cervix. Induction is more likely to succeed and to behave like spontaneous labor.
7 · Intermediate
In between. Your provider weighs the score with the reason for induction and your history.
0–6 · Unfavorable
An 'unripe' cervix. Clinicians often use a cervical ripening step first to improve the odds.
How to read it
What the score is — and what it isn't
Dr Edward Bishop published this "pelvic score" in 1964 to help plan elective inductions. The idea is simple: the more open, thinned, soft, forward-pointing, and low the cervix already is, the closer the body is to labor — and the more likely a nudge (an induction) is to work. Adding up those five features gives a single number that captures cervical readiness at a glance.
A higher score points to a favorable, "ripe" cervix: induction tends to be shorter, more likely to end in a vaginal birth, and to behave more like labor that started on its own. A lower score points to an unfavorable, "unripe" cervix, where an induction may take longer and clinicians often prepare the cervix first with a ripening method — a medicine or a balloon catheter — before or alongside the induction.
Crucially, the score describes probability, not certainty, and it's a decision aid for your care team, not a rule. It doesn't say whether you should be induced, and it can't predict any single outcome — plenty of inductions that start with a low score go on to a vaginal birth. Because every value comes from a clinician's exam, use this calculator to understand a score you've already been given, then talk it through with your provider.
What matters more than the number
The score is one input — your care team weighs the rest
The reason for induction
Why an induction is being considered — your health, the baby's, or how far along you are — often matters more than the starting score.
Ripening can change the picture
A low score isn't the end of the story: cervical ripening softens and opens the cervix, raising the effective score before the induction gets going.
How far along you are
Gestational age, your history, and previous births all shape how an induction is planned — the Bishop score sits alongside them, not above them.
Your preferences
This is a shared decision. The score helps set expectations, but what you want and understand is part of the plan.
If you're pregnant and think labor may be starting on its own, that's a different question — see whether you might be in labor and time your contractions. Call your provider or maternity unit for anything that worries you.
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Sources
Where this comes from
The five components and their point values reproduce the original Bishop score (Bishop EH. Pelvic scoring for elective induction. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1964). The favorable-cervix threshold and the role of cervical ripening for an unfavorable score follow ACOG induction-of-labor guidance and standard obstetric references. We don't reinterpret the score; we add up the published points and explain what the total generally means. The exam that produces the values — and every decision about induction — belongs with your clinician.
Medically Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated
Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines →
4 Sources
Data & references
- Bishop EH. Pelvic scoring for elective induction. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1964;24:266–268 (the original score)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14199536/
- StatPearls / NCBI Bookshelf: Bishop Scorehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470368/
- ACOG clinical guidance: Obstetric Labor — induction of labor (favorable cervix & cervical ripening)https://www.acog.org/topics/obstetric-labor
- ACOG patient FAQ: Labor Inductionhttps://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/labor-induction
EasySTD is an information and comparison directory, not a healthcare provider. This calculator is general information based on the published Bishop score: it is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a decision about whether or when to induce, and it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. The values come from a clinician's exam — discuss your score and your options with the provider caring for you.
Good to Know
Bishop score: frequently asked questions
What the score measures, what favorable and unfavorable mean, whether you can work it out yourself, what a low score leads to, and how private this is.
What is the Bishop score?
The Bishop score is a way of measuring how 'ready' the cervix is for labor, usually before deciding on or timing an induction. A clinician does a vaginal exam and rates five things — how open the cervix is (dilation), how thinned-out it is (effacement), how far the baby's head has descended (station), how firm or soft the cervix feels (consistency), and which way it points (position). Each gets a few points, and the five add up to a total from 0 to 13. It was first published by Dr Edward Bishop in 1964 as a 'pelvic score' for planning inductions, and it's still widely used today. A higher score means a more favorable, 'ripe' cervix.
What counts as a favorable or unfavorable score?
As a rough guide, a Bishop score of 8 or higher is generally considered favorable — the cervix is 'ripe,' and an induction is more likely to succeed and to behave more like spontaneous labor. A score of 6 or lower is generally considered unfavorable ('unripe'), and clinicians often use a cervical ripening step first to improve the odds before or alongside starting the induction. A score of 7 sits in the middle. These are general thresholds and different practices and guidelines draw the line slightly differently, so the number is one input into your provider's judgment, not a fixed rule.
Can I calculate my own Bishop score at home?
Not really — the five values all come from a cervical exam that a clinician performs, so you can't measure dilation, effacement, station, consistency, and position yourself. This calculator is meant to help you understand a score your provider has already discussed with you: you enter the values they found, and it adds them up and explains what the total generally means. Think of it as a way to make sense of the number, not a substitute for the exam. If you're not sure of your values, ask your provider what they were.
What happens if my Bishop score is low?
A low (unfavorable) score doesn't mean an induction can't happen — it usually means the cervix needs some help getting ready first. Clinicians have several cervical ripening methods, including medicines that soften and open the cervix and mechanical methods like a balloon catheter, which can raise the effective score and improve the chance that the induction goes smoothly. A low score is a reason to prepare the cervix, not a verdict against inducing. Your provider will weigh the score alongside the reason for induction, how far along you are, your history, and your preferences.
Does a low Bishop score mean my induction will fail?
No. The Bishop score describes probability, not certainty. A higher score is associated with a better chance that an induction ends in a vaginal birth and behaves like natural labor, and a lower score is associated with a longer induction and a somewhat higher chance of a cesarean — but plenty of inductions with a low starting score go on to a vaginal birth, especially after cervical ripening. The score helps set expectations and plan the approach; it can't predict any one person's outcome. It's a starting point for a conversation with your care team, not a prediction of failure.
Is what I enter private?
Yes. This calculator runs entirely in your browser. The values you enter are added up on your own device and are never sent to a server, saved, or shared — close the tab and they're gone. It's general educational information based on the published Bishop score; it isn't medical advice, a diagnosis, or a decision about whether or when to induce. Those decisions belong with the clinician who examined you.
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