| Effect | Increase |
| Trial Design | Randomized trial |
| Trial Length | n/a |
| Number of Subjects | 50 |
| Sex | Female |
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 50 pregnant women took 750 mg of saffron or placebo (a third every 8 hours) prior to delivery.
The primary outcome was the readiness of cervix as assessed by Bishop's score, and there was a greater improvement at 20-24 hours after starting the intervention and just after starting uterine contractions. There weren't statistically significant differences in the interval between initiation of the intervention and starting spontaneous uterine contractions, duration of the first stage of labor, duration of the second stage, labor augmentation, vaginal delivery, hemoglobin, or hematocrit.
The trial was preregistered: IRCT 201212233706N19
