Less pushing during labor may be safer for babies
NCT ID NCT03018860
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study looked at two ways of managing the pushing stage of labor in first-time mothers with epidurals. One group was encouraged to push only twice per contraction (moderate), while the other pushed three times (intensive). The goal was to see if moderate pushing leads to better outcomes for newborns and mothers, such as fewer injuries or complications. Over 1,700 women took part across multiple hospitals in France.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could change standard labor practices to reduce stress on newborns and mothers without increasing complications.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is completed but results may not apply to all women (only first-time mothers with epidurals). The difference between groups might be small or not clinically meaningful.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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1,701 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2017
- Finished
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Dec 2021
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria : * primiparous women * singleton fetus * fetal cephalic presentation * ≥37 gestational weeks * living fetus * Patient with epidural analgesia * Major Female * Women understand French Exclusion Criteria : * Abnormal fetal heart rate requiring hastening childbirth * cervical dilatation \< 8 cm * intrauterine fetal growth restriction \<5e percentile, * Fetal malformation, * history of gynecological surgery with uterine scar * Women do not understand French, * women with psychiatric condition * contraindication to intensive management of active second stage (severe myopia, respiratory or cardiac failure) * no affiliation to a social security scheme (beneficiary or assignee)
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Cochin Hospital
Paris, Paris, 75014, France