What is the optimal duration of oral misoprostol treatment for cervical ripening?

Objectives: To evaluate the number of misoprostol tablets needed to obtain a Bishop score (BS) ≥ 6 or a significant cervical change (≥2 points in BS) during cervical ripening.

Methods: Retrospective study of women with term singleton pregnancies and a BS < 6 taking oral misoprostol (20 μg first 2 doses followed by 40 μg every 2 h) for cervical ripening.

Results: We included 400 women, 72% nulliparous, mean age of 31.