National Data Related to Reproductive Health and Health Care – Where to Go When You Need Quick Statistics About the Health of Persons Who are or May Become Pregnant

Molly E. Waring, PhD, FSBM, Jess Gorzelitz PhD MS, Reema Persad-Clem, PhD, MPH, Rizwana Biviji, PhD, MS, Sandesh Bhusal, BPH, Liane Ventura, MPH, Anna M. Strahm, PhD, Richard P. Moser, PhD, FSBM, on behalf of the Women’s Health and Population Health Sciences (PHS) Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

The overturning of Roe v Wade via the 2022 Dobbs decision has triggered a wave of laws and proposed legislation limiting access to reproductive healthcare in many US states. It is now more important than ever to boost research, training, and advocacy related to women's health and reproductive health, at the individual, local, and national levels.

Below, we describe sources that provide ready access to national population health statistics and person-level data relating to reproductive health and healthcare. These data sources serve as valuable resources for a variety of purposes, including preparing presentations, crafting op-eds, developing policy briefs, gathering information for visits with policymakers, or justifying planned enrollment in a grant proposal.

For health researchers, most of the resources below also offer public-use datasets for download, and some additionally offer opportunities to access additional restricted data through their research data centers. We strongly encourage researchers, especially those new to these types of data, to collaborate with a colleague well-versed in methods for complex sample population-level data to ensure the data are analyzed correctly.

While the below list is not exhaustive, these resources can be used for research and advocacy to promote the health and wellbeing of persons who are or may become pregnant.

National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG): Collects detailed data from US adults aged 15-49 years about family life, marriage and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of contraception, and men’s and women’s health, including sexual activity, contraceptive use, and infertility; reproductive health care; and attitudes about sex, childbearing, and marriage. NSFG provides quick statistics (e.g., in 2017-2019, 2% of US women aged 15-49 years used emergency contraception) and reports (e.g., contraceptive use). Recent research using NSFG data has examined trends in access to long-acting reversible contraception, prematurity and breastfeeding initiation, and trends in risk of pregnancy loss.

National Vital Statistics System (NVSS): Data from birth and death certificates from US states and territories. Reproductive health data include demographics of birthing persons; gestational diabetes; receipt of prenatal care; and infant and maternal mortality. NVSS provides key birth statistics (e.g., 41% of US births were paid for by Medicaid) and reports (e.g., characteristics of US births and changes in prenatal care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic). Recent research using NVSS has examined WIC enrollment and health behaviors during pregnancy, geographic clustering of repeat teen births, and loss of hospital-based obstetric care and birth outcomes in rural counties.

Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS): Birth certificate data are combined with survey data from people who have recently given birth from 46 US states, Washington DC, New York City, Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico (81% of all live births in the US). The survey includes questions about attitudes and feelings about the most recent pregnancy; preconception and prenatal care; Medicaid and WIC participation; breastfeeding; infant health care; and contraceptive use. PRAMS provides quick access to maternal child health indicators for the aggregate sample and by US state/territory (e.g., 29% of people giving birth had obesity in 2021), and reports (e.g., 79% of post-partum persons reported that a provider had asked about depression during a prenatal visit). Recent research using PRAMS data examined fertility treatment and birth outcomes, ACA expansion and post-partum contraception use, and intimate partner violence during pregnancy.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS): System of telephone surveys that collects data about health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services among US adults. Reproductive health questions include current pregnancy; contraception use; history of gestational diabetes; HPV vaccination; HIV testing; breast and cervical cancer screening; and hysterectomy. BRFSS provides several interactive online tools to generate national and state-specific statistics and to conduct crosstabs or logistic regression analyses online. Recent research using BRFSS examined women’s mental health by abortion access, predictors of cervical cancer screening by race/ethnicity, and access to care among women by sexual orientation.