Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System released a report: Births: Provisional Data for 2020.  This report includes information on U.S births by age and race and Hispanic origin of mother/parent. Data on cesarean delivery and preterm births also are included. This preliminary information for 2020 covers a period when the entire world was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  This report may provide insights into reproductive behavior and outcomes under the time frame of the COVID-19 situation.

Six key findings from this provisional report

Provisional total births were 3,605, 201 - down 4% (142,309) from 2019 total births.  This is the sixth consecutive year of decreases.  2014 was the last time the number of births went up.  This year’s count is the lowest number since 1979.

The total fertility rate was 1,637.5 births per 1,000 women in 2020, down 4% from 2019 to also reach another record low for the nation.

.In 2020, birth rates declined for women in all age groups 15–44 and were unchanged for adolescents aged 10–14 and women aged 45–49. T

In 2020, the overall cesarean delivery rate increased to 31.8% from 31.7% in 2019 Despite this increase, the rate had generally declined from 2009 (32.9%) to 2019.

The low-risk cesarean delivery rate, or cesarean delivery among nulliparous (first birth), term (37 or more completed weeks based on the obstetric estimate), singleton (one fetus), vertex (head first) births (NTSV), also increased in 2020, to 25.9% from 25.6% in 2019.

The preterm birth rate (birth before 37 weeks) declined to 10.09% in 2020 from 10.23% in 2019, the first decline in this rate since 2014.

Summary

Further analysis and a review of the data for 2021 and beyond will need to occur to explore if the COVID-19 pandemic had an influence on these numbers.  As the pandemic has not yet been declared over, this cannot be answered at this time.  Are there any casual trends that you are seeing in your community, both in the US and beyond?  Share in the comments section below.

References

Hamilton BE, Martin JA, Osterman MJK. Births: Provisional data for 2020. Vital Statistics Rapid Release; no 12. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. May 2021. DOI: https:// doi.org/10.15620/cdc:104993.

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