Cervical examination prior to induction in postdate pregnancies

Results from cervical examination prior to induction of labor at 42 weeks completed gestation differed significantly between those patients in whom delivery was by cesarean section and those in whom delivery was vagina. The absolute value of the difference was small, however, and the overlap between the two groups was so great that it was not clinically useful. Cervical examination prior to induction was a poor screening test for determining those patients in whom delivery would ultimately be by cesarean section.