The Historical Practice of “Membrane Sweep” to Initiate Labour: Does it Have a Role in Contemporary Obstetric Practice?

Membrane stripping or sweeping involves a vaginal examination during which a finger is introduced into the cervical os to separate the membranes from the lower uterine segment by a circular movement. Membrane sweeping was first suggested by James Hamilton in 1810 [2] for labor induction. Mc Colgin [3] confirmed that the membrane sweep was associated with an increased activity of prostaglandin F2 and phospholipase A. A Bishop’s score [4] to assess the cervical length, dilatation, effacement, consistency position of cervix and fetal descent is used to predict the prognosis of the membrane sweep and the induction process.