The ARRIVE Trial and Why Birth Professionals Are Talking About It

The ARRIVE Trial (A Randomized Trial of Induction Versus Expectant Management) was published in 2019. Researchers conducted this study to find out “if elective induction of labor (using medicine to start labor without a medical reason) during the 39th week of pregnancy would result in a lower rate of death and serious complications for babies, compared to waiting until at least 40 weeks and 5 days for elective induction (Grobman et al. 2018). They also wanted to see if inductions had an effect on the risk of Cesareans (Dekker. evidencebasedbirth.com/arrive, 2018).

The results of this study conclude that “inducing labor at 39 weeks did not improve the primary outcome of death or serious complications for babies. For mothers, induction at 39 weeks was linked to a lower rate of Cesarean compared to those assigned to expectant management (19% Cesarean rate versus 22%) and a lower chance of developing pregnancy-induced high blood pressure (9% versus 14%). Mothers in the early induction group spent more time in the hospital in labor, but less time in the hospital postpartum” (Dekker. https://evidencebasedbirth.com/arrive, 2018).

Here is a link to the published study if you’d like to read more about it:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01990612

Since ARRIVE’s publication, induction and c-section rates have increased significantly, and health care providers are talking a lot about this controversial study. We think this is a significant issue and are curious about your thoughts. Read up on what’s being talked about:

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-for-going-past-your-due-date/
https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(21)01881-0/fulltext
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/midwives-worried-over-health-risks-as-the-number-of-caesarean-section-deliveries-soars-41466820.html

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