At a glance
CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) monitors maternal and infant mortality, the most serious reproductive health complications. In addition, we focus on gathering data to better understand the extent of maternal and infant morbidity, and behaviors and conditions that can affect reproductive health.
Overview
Public health surveillance is the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. The public health approach includes using surveillance data to identify problems and assess the effectiveness of interventions. Without accurate and timely data, public health cannot take timely action. This glossary is available of commonly used terms in public health surveillance and epidemiology.
From Data to Action: CDC's Public Health Surveillance for Women, Infants and Children
The major surveillance systems in DRH include the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), the National ART Surveillance System (NASS), and the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (PMSS). CDC also supports the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA, or "Maria"), a data system designed to facilitate MMRC functions through a common data language, and the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Case Registry, which seeks to improve population-based SUID surveillance in jurisdictions. Reports are generated from these systems on a routine basis. DRH also monitors teen pregnancy and the number and characteristics of women obtaining legal induced abortions in the United States. Point-in-time surveys are conducted to assess reproductive health in developing countries.
Data and Statistics Reference Links
- PMSS: uses data from all US states to describe levels and causes of pregnancy-related deaths at the national level.
- SUID: DRH presents National Center for Health Statistics data related to SUID. Data presented include breakdown of SUID by cause, trends in SUID rates by cause, SUID by race/ethnicity, and data resources for SUID and sudden infant death syndrome.
- Data.gov: Data.gov increases the ability of the public to easily find, download, and use datasets that are generated and held by the federal government. Data.gov provides descriptions of the federal datasets (metadata), information about how to access the datasets, and tools that leverage government datasets.
- CDC WONDER: Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research—an easy-to-use, menu-driven system that makes the CDC's information resources available to the public.
- Welcome to WISQARS™ (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System): This is an interactive database system that provides customized reports of injury-related data.
- BRFSS: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects data about health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and three US territories.
- YRBSS: YRBSS is a set of surveys that track behaviors that can lead to poor health in students grades 9 through 12.
- Maternal and Infant Health Mapping (MIHM)Tool: An interactive online tool that allows users to create and customize county-level maps on maternal and infant health.
- Health, United States
- HIV/AIDS Statistics
- National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
- National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG)
- National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)
- STD Prevention, Surveillance and Statistics
Abortion
CDC began abortion surveillance in 1969 to document the number and characteristics of women obtaining legal induced abortions. Many states and jurisdictions conduct abortion surveillance. This information is voluntarily reported to CDC. CDC’s surveillance system compiles the information from states and jurisdictions on legal induced abortions.
Links to reports and resources
MMWR: Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2021
Abortion Surveillance System FAQs
Previous MMWR Abortion Surveillance Reports
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994–1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 | 1987–1986 | 1985–1984 | 1981 | 1980–1979
Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates
Fertility clinics in the United States report and verify data on the assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles started and carried out in their clinics, and the outcomes of these cycles, during each calendar year. ART includes all fertility treatments in which either eggs or embryos are handled. The main type of ART is in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF involves extracting a woman's eggs, fertilizing the eggs in the laboratory, and then transferring the resulting embryos into the woman's uterus through the cervix. These ART data are a rich source of information that can give potential ART users an idea of their average chances of success per ART cycle or ART transfer.
View the most recent ART success rates. Locate fertility clinics near you, learn about the services they provide, the types of patients they see, and their success rates.
Maternal and Women's Reproductive Health
NCHS FastStats
Links to reports and resources
Pregnancy-Related Deaths: Data from Maternal Mortality Review Committees in 36 US States, 2017–2019
Saving Mothers, Giving Life Initiative: Five reports provide CDC's evaluation results of the pilot year of the Saving Mothers, Giving Life initiative, showing that the project was able to significantly decrease the number of maternal deaths in project districts in Uganda and Zambia.