Cesarean DeliveryLIRICNCT07082530
A RCT of Labor Induction at 39 Weeks in Low - Risk Women in China
A study testing Labor Induction at 39 Weeks and Expectant management in people with Cesarean Delivery, run by Women's Hospital School Of Medicine Zhejiang University at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
The investigators are committed to identifying the optimal timing of delivery for low-risk pregnancies. While current guidelines typically recommend induction at 41 weeks, emerging evidence suggests that elective induction at 39 weeks may lead to improved maternal and neonatal outcomes. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Cesarean Delivery
- What is being tested?
- Labor Induction at 39 Weeks and Expectant management
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,074 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 30 Jul 2025to 30 Jun 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age ≥18 years.
- Singleton pregnancy or twin pregnancy reduced to singleton before 14 weeks.
- Gestational age between 38 weeks 4 days or 38 weeks 6 days at randomization.
- Eligible for vaginal delivery with a desire for vaginal birth.
- Reliable gestational age determination.
- Maternal and fetal conditions assessed as low-risk by at least two senior obstetricians, with no indications requiring delivery before 41 weeks.
- Ability to understand study information and provide informed consent.
Who cannot join
- First-trimester ultrasound estimate >13 weeks 6 days.
- Planned induction before 41 weeks.
- Planned cesarean delivery or contraindications to vaginal delivery.
- Already delivered, in labor, or ruptured membranes at enrollment.
- Placenta previa, vasa previa, placenta accreta, or placental abruption.
- Contraindications to induction (e.g., cervical cancer, history of uterine rupture, genital tract malformations, abnormal fetal position, cord prolapse).
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- Active vaginal bleeding exceeding spotting.
- History of cesarean delivery or uterine/cervical surgery.
- Cervical cerclage during this pregnancy.
- Maternal conditions not suitable for expectant management beyond 39 weeks (e.g., pregestational diabetes, gestational diabetes requiring insulin, hypertensive disorders, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy).
- Fetal conditions not suitable for expectant management beyond 39 weeks (e.g., fetal death, major anomalies, growth restriction, macrosomia, anemia, oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios).
- Maternal infections or positive screenings for sexually transmitted pathogens or group B Streptococcus.
- Planned delivery at a non-study facility.
- Participation in another intervention study affecting delivery management.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
China1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006
Huajing Gao, MD Candidate, 86+18867114750, huajingg@zju.edu.cn
Dan Zhang, Ph. D.
About this study
Official title: Labor Induction in Low-risk Women at 39 Weeks of Gestation: A Randomized Trial in China
The investigators are committed to identifying the optimal timing of delivery for low-risk pregnancies. While current guidelines typically recommend induction at 41 weeks, emerging evidence suggests that elective induction at 39 weeks may lead to improved maternal and neonatal outcomes. The U.S.-based ARRIVE trial demonstrated that induction at 39 weeks significantly reduced cesarean delivery rates compared to expectant management, and a similar randomized controlled trial (French-ARRIVE) is ongoing in France. However, population-specific evidence for the Chinese population remains lacking.
This study is designed to establish a prospective cohort of low-risk pregnant women in China, comparing the effects of induction at 39 weeks, induction at 41 weeks, and expectant management on cesarean section rates and other maternal and neonatal outcomes. In addition, multi-omics technologies will be employed to analyze cord blood samples-including metabolomics and proteomics-to identify early biomarkers potentially associated with long-term child health. The study will begin with a pilot phase to assess feasibility and inform operational strategies for large-scale implementation.
The ultimate goal of this project is to generate evidence tailored to the Chinese population to support more individualized decision-making, improve clinical outcomes, and enhance maternal and neonatal safety.
- Conditions
- Cesarean Delivery
- Being tested
- Labor Induction at 39 Weeks, Expectant management
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Labor Induction at 39 WeeksProcedure or surgery
Labor induction at 39 weeks 0 days to 39 weeks 4 days
Expectant managementProcedure or surgery
Expectant management until spontaneous labor or induction at 41 weeks.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Induction group | Experimental | Labor induction at 39 weeks 0 days to 39 weeks 4 days Receives: Procedure: Labor Induction at 39 Weeks |
| Control group | Active comparator | Expectant management until spontaneous labor or induction at 41 weeks Receives: Procedure: Expectant management |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Incidence of cesarean section
The proportion of deliveries completed by cesarean section
Measured: Delivery day
Secondary outcomes (41)
Composite incidence of severe neonatal morbidity and perinatal mortality
The composite incidence of any of the following:
- Antepartum, intrapartum, or neonatal death
- Intubation, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) for ventilation or cardiorespiratory support within first 72 hours
- Apgar ≤ 3 at 5 minutes
- Neonatal encephalopathy
- Seizures
- Sepsis (presence of a clinically ill infant in whom systemic infection is suspected with a positive blood, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), or catheterized/suprapubic urine culture; or, in the absence of positive cultures, clinical evidence of cardiovascular collapse or an unequivocal X-ray confirming infection).
- Pneumonia confirmed by X-ray or positive blood culture.
- Meconium aspiration syndrome
- Birth trauma (bone fractures, brachial plexus palsy, other neurologic injury, retinal hemorrhage, facial nerve injury)
- Intracranial hemorrhage or subgaleal hemorrhage
- Hypotension requiring pressor support
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Emergency Cesarean Rate
Cesarean delivery performed immediately or shortly after clinical decision due to imminent threat to the life of the mother or fetus
Measured: Delivery day
Category 1 Emergency Cesarean Rate
Cesarean performed within approximately 30 minutes due to immediate life-threatening conditions (e.g., uterine rupture, severe fetal distress)
Measured: Delivery day
Category 2 Emergency Cesarean Rate
Cesarean performed within 60-75 minutes due to urgent but not immediately life-threatening indications (e.g., progressive fetal distress, labor arrest)
Measured: Delivery day
Elective Cesarean Rate
Planned cesarean performed at or after 39 weeks in the absence of emergency conditions, meeting all of the following:
- Surgery scheduled ≥24 hours before onset of labor;
- No spontaneous contractions or rupture of membranes;
- Clear medical indications (e.g., placenta previa, breech presentation) or maternal request.
Measured: Delivery day
Operative Vaginal Delivery
The rate of vaginal deliveries assisted with instruments such as forceps or vacuum.
Measured: Delivery day
Gestational Age at Delivery
Expressed in weeks and decimal days (e.g., 39 weeks + 5 days = 39.7 weeks)
Measured: Delivery day
Chorioamnionitis
Incidence of chorioamnionitis, defined as a clinical diagnosis before delivery as: maternal body temperature rises (>38°C) with 2 or more of the following symptoms:
- Maternal tachycardia (>100 beats/min);
- Fetal tachycardia (>160 beats/min)
- Uterine tenderness and irritability
- Purulent or malodorous amniotic fluid or vaginal discharge
- Maternal leukocytosis (white blood cell count > 15000/mm3)
Measured: Delivery day
Third-or fourth-degree perineal laceration
The incidence of third-or fourth-degree perineal laceration
Measured: Delivery day
Postpartum hemorrhage
Refer to the ARRIVE cohort, defined as any of the following situations:
- Transfusion
- Non-elective hysterectomy
- Use of two or more uterotonics other than oxytocin
- Other surgical interventions such as uterine compression sutures, uterine artery ligation, embolization and hypogastric ligation, balloon tamponade
- Curettage
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Postpartum infection
Refer to the ARRIVE cohort, defined as any of the following situations:
- Clinical diagnosis of endometritis
- Wound reopened for hematoma, seroma, infection or other reasons
- Cellulitis requiring antibiotics
- Pneumonia
- Pyelonephritis
- Bacteremia unknown source
- Septic pelvic thrombosis
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
ICU admission
The proportion of admission to the ICU
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Maternal death
The incidence of maternal death
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Preeclampsia/gestational hypertension
The incidence of preeclampsia or gestational hypertension diagnosed during labor
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Maternal venous thromboembolism
Deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Maternal pain
Median patient-reported pain outcomes with a 10-point Likert scale
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Birth weight
The mean birth weight
Measured: Delivery day
Female gender
The proportion of female offspring in terms of physiological gender
Measured: Delivery day
Macrosomia
Birth weight > 4000g
Measured: Delivery day
Incidence of large for gestational age
According to the infant's gender and gestational age, the birth weight exceeds the 90th percentile of infants of the same gestational age
Measured: Delivery day
Incidence of small for gestational age
According to the infant's gender and gestational age, the birth weight is less than the 10th percentile of infants of the same gestational age
Measured: Delivery day
Apgar scores at 5 min
Apgar score at 5 minutes after birth
Measured: Delivery day
Neonatal acidosis
The incidence of neonatal acidosis defined as umbilical artery blood pH < 7.10
Measured: Delivery day
Shoulder dystocia
The incidence of shoulder dystocia
Measured: Delivery day
Hyperbilirubinemia
The incidence of hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy or exchange transfusion
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Transfusion of blood products or blood
The incidence of neonatal transfusion of blood products or blood
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Hypoglycemia incidence
The incidence of hypoglycemia (blood glucose < 35mg/L) requiring intravenous treatment
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission
The incidence of admission to the NICU lasting more than 48 hours
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Physical measurement indicators
Infant weight, length, head circumference, chest circumference, sitting height, upper arm circumference, subcutaneous fat, height-chest circumference index, crown-rump length/length
Measured: 6 weeks and 6 months
Growth balance indicators
Weight-for-length, length-for-age, weight-for-age z scores of infants, calculated using the World Health Organization (WHO) tool, WHO Anthro Survey Analyser
Measured: 6 weeks and 6 months
Growth retardation
Height standard deviation for age < mean-2S or percentile method < P3
Measured: 6 weeks and 6 months
Abnormal neurological examination
The proportion of abnormal results in neurological examinations (hearing development, nerve reflexes)
Measured: 6 weeks and 6 months
Scores of Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-4)
Total score, cognitive scale score, language scale score, motor scale score, social-emotional scale score, adaptive behavior scale score
Measured: 6 weeks and 6 months
Scores of Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ-3)
Total score, communication domain score, gross motor domain score, fine motor domain score, problem-solving domain score, personal-social domain score
Measured: 6 weeks and 6 months
Incidence of allergic diseases
Allergic diseases diagnosed by neonatologists, including cow's milk allergy, allergic rhinitis, eczema/allergic dermatitis, asthma, wheezing and other allergic disorders
Measured: 6 weeks and 6 months
Time from randomization to delivery
Median time from randomization to birth of the fetus, measured in hours
Measured: Delivery day
Use of epidural analgesia
Rate of epidural analgesia use
Measured: Delivery day
Maternal length of hospital stays
Median maternal hospital stays, measured in hours
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Neonatal length of hospital stays
Median neonatal hospital stays, measured in hours
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Pre-insurance hospitalization cost
Total hospitalization cost during delivery, before insurance reimbursement
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Out-of-pocket hospitalization cost
Out-of-pocket cost incurred during delivery hospitalization
Measured: Hospital discharge (Day 2-3)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Jul 2025
- Study start30 Jul 2025
- Primary completion30 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Cesarean DeliveryStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,074 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Women's Hospital School Of Medicine Zhejiang University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Dan Zhang, Ph. D., Principal investigator, Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07082530
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB-20250211-R
- Acronym
- LIRIC
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 25 Jun 2025
- Last updated
- 30 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Deidentified individual participant data underlying the published results will be made available upon reasonable request after publication of the primary trial results. The deidentified data will be securely stored locally and shared in accordance with applicable ethical and regulatory requirements.
Publications
Gao H, Shen J, Chen D, Mol BW, Hu W, Liang Z, Bai X, Han X, Zhu J, Wang H, Liu X, Su C, Chen Y, Weng R, Liu Y, Li W, Zhang D. Labour induction in low-risk women at 39 weeks of gestation: a randomised trial in China (LIRIC) - protocol of an open label, randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2026 Sep 16;16(9):e123251. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-123251.
PubMed 42749373