Prenatal care characteristics, January-April, provisional 2019 and 2020

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Limited information is available on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and the pandemic
in general on pregnant women and their newborns. Using data collected on birth records,
NCHS is monitoring a number of factors, including prenatal care, that could potentially be
affected by COVID-19 and will report on these data as they become available. Anecdotal
information suggests that pregnant women and/or healthcare providers may have cancelled
or postponed prenatal care visits, thereby impacting the timing of initiation of care and the
adequacy of care. The table below provides baseline data for selected prenatal care
characteristics for January-April 2020, which includes the early months of the pandemic, and
compares these data with corresponding data for 2019. NCHS will continue to track these,
and other pregnancy-related factors over the coming months to identify changes that may be
associated, either directly or indirectly, with the pandemic.

Table. Number of births and selected prenatal care characteristics, by month of birth: United States, January through April, provisional 2019 and 2020

SOURCE: NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Natality.

NOTE: This table was revised on 8/6/2020 to correct provisional 2020 counts and rates.