Why is this study being done?

ECV is recommended for women with babies who are in a breech position after 37 weeks of pregnancy. When ECV is done at 37 or more weeks, it is successful about 50% of the time. By starting ECV a bit earlier in the pregnancy (at between 34 and 35 weeks) we think that it may be possible to turn more babies to a head down position. If ECV were to be more successful by starting it earlier this could result in a decreased need for delivery by Caesarean section. 

We have completed a smaller pilot study (with 233 mothers) comparing ECV that was started at 34-35 weeks in the pregnancy compared to beginning at 37-38 weeks. This study was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. We found that there were fewer babies who were breech at birth when the procedure was started earlier. However, these findings may have been due to chance, and we cannot be certain from this research that starting ECV early will decrease the number of Caesarean sections. The Early ECV 2 Trial is being done in order to determine if ECV starting at 34-35 weeks is helpful in reducing the likelihood of the baby being born by Caesarean section and to make sure that there is no increased risk to the baby by starting the ECV earlier.