The Twin Birth Study: planned caesarean section versus planned vaginal birth for twins at 32-38 weeks gestation

The Twin Birth Study: a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing planned caesarean section with planned vaginal birth for twins at 32-38 weeks gestation

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN74420086

Enrollment

2800

Registered

2003-12-09

Start date

2003-12-13

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-03-30

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Twin pregnancies where the first twin is presenting in the cephalic position. Pregnancy and Childbirth Twin pregnancies

Interventions

Women will be randomised to either a planned vaginal birth group or to a planned caesarean section group. Randomisation will be carried out at 32 weeks, allowing for planning of the d

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Female

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Women at 32 - 38 weeks gestation 2. Aged 18 - 49 years old, female 3. Carrying live twins that each weigh 1500 - 4000 g 4. First twin is presenting in the cephalic position

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Monoamniotic twins 2. Lethal anomaly of either twin 3. Contraindication to labour or VB Added 04/03/2009: 4. Previous participation in the Twin Birth Study

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Perinatal or neonatal mortality and/or serious neonatal morbidity (excluding lethal congenital anomalies)	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Death or poor neurodevelopmental outcome of the children at 2 years of age 2. Problematic urinary or faecal/flatal incontinence for the mother at 2 years postpartum Other outcome measures: 1. Maternal death or serious maternal morbidity within 28 days following delivery 2. Maternal satisfaction with method of delivery (3 months) 3. Breast feeding (3 months) 4. Maternal quality of life (3 months and 2 years) 5. Problematic urinary or faecal/flatal incontinence at 3 months 6. Costs	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Death or poor neurodevelopmental outcome of the children at 2 years of age 2. Problematic urinary or faecal/flatal incontinence for the mother at 2 years postpartum Other outcome measures: 1. Maternal death or serious maternal morbidity within 28 days following delivery 2. Maternal satisfaction with method of delivery (3 months) 3. Breast feeding (3 months) 4. Maternal quality of life (3 months and 2 years) 5. Problematic urinary or faecal/flatal incontinence at 3 months 6. Costs

—

Countries

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Egypt, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 11, 2026