Marchand Institute Discusses New "Game Changing" Guidelines for the Induction of Pregnant Women; Physician Expert, New Mom and Baby Are Available for Interview

MESA, Ariz., Sept. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Olivia Orano has just delivered baby Myles, a beautiful 7 lbs. baby boy!  Like any first time mother, during the pregnancy, Olivia spent a lot of time developing a "birth plan," or a list of her preferences at time of delivery.  That list originally included avoiding induction of labor and "letting the baby come naturally."

At six months of pregnancy, however, Olivia had a discussion with her OBGYN that changed that plan.  Her OBGYN, Dr. Greg Marchand of the Marchand Institute, told her about a recent study that gave new information about first time moms, and how they could maximize their chance of delivering vaginally and avoiding cesarean sections.

"I was always taught in my training that it was best to wait for labor, no matter how long that took," said Dr. Marchand, a leading Arizona OBGYN.  "At least for first time mothers, this is now clearly not the best idea."

The landmark study is called "The ARRIVE Trial" and was published this month in "The New England Journal of Medicine". The results showed that those first time moms randomized to be induced at 39 weeks had a lower rate of cesarean section, and had babies that did better after birth.  The study seemed to prove that the definitive factor in whether a woman will deliver her baby vaginally or by cesarean section is the weight of the baby.  This stands in contrast to decades of traditional Obstetrical education which taught that cervical dilation was the real determinant.

Immediately following the release of the study, The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology released a Practice Advisory to all OBGYNs in the US, which discussed the study and its application in Obstetrics.  The Practice Advisory called utilization of the data from the study "reasonable," which drew the attention of OBGYNs all over the world.

Prior to this advisory, many Obstetricians would use reaching 42 weeks, or how dilated the cervix was, as a determinant for when to induce labor.  The study was sponsored by the National Institute of Health and prospectively reviewed the outcome of greater than 6000 births of first time mothers. About half of those mothers were scheduled for induction at 39 weeks, the other half were left to go into labor naturally whenever it would come. The surprising outcome was a 16% decrease in cesarean section in the women in the electively induced arm of the study.  The babies born to the electively induced babies also had a lower incidence of respiratory problems, and overall needed help breathing less often than the babies in the "natural labor" arm.

Dr. Marchand went on to explain that this research will greatly change the way doctors counsel their pregnant patients at time of delivery, and that it will result in many more women being induced at 39 weeks gestation.

For Olivia, she was moved by the discussion and decided to go forward with induction at 39 weeks.  She was able to have baby Myles naturally, and couldn't be more in love with her new baby!

Dr. Marchand is an extensively published leading OBGYN who practices in Mesa, Arizona.  He is available for interview to discuss the new guidelines and the profound affect they can have on physicians planning induction of labor and new mothers developing birth plans.   Ms. Orano is also interested in sharing her story and her beautiful new baby with the media for purposes of awareness.  Please contact Karen Thomas at [email protected] or (631) 549-7575 for interview requests. 

For information about the study referenced in the NEJM, please see the NEJM article at:  https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1800566

Media Contact:

Karen Thomas

[email protected]

(631) 549-7575

SOURCE The Marchand Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery