Health Risk Factors:

Factors that may put you at higher health risk for poor reproductive and birth outcomes are¹:

• High Blood Pressure.
• Heart Disease.
• Diabetes.
• Depression.
• Domestic violence.
• Genetic conditions.
• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
• Tobacco, alcohol, and substance use.
• Poor nutrition.
• Unhealthy weight.

Other Factors:

• Your health before pregnancy.
• Age.
• Access to health care.
• Poverty.

For more information, visit Healthy People 2020 - Maternal, Infant, and Child Health

Environmental Factors:

• Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Air pollution.
• Lead in paint and other products.
• Chemicals including pesticides.
• Endocrine Disruptors.

Preconception health and health care focus on things you can do before and between pregnancies to increase the chances of having a healthy baby. The following are important steps to help you get ready for the healthiest pregnancy possible²:

• See a health care provider.
• Take a multivitamin with at least 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day.
• Do not smoke or let anyone smoke around you or your baby.
• Avoid harmful substances during pregnancy, such as alcohol and other drugs.
  • If you have a substance use disorder, reach out to a health care provider for help managing it during pregnancy.
• Avoid toxic substances and environmental contaminants like:
  • Lead.
  • Cat litter.
• Follow the Eat Safe Fish guidelines.
• Maintain appropriate weight gain.
• If you are at risk of domestic and sexual violence, find a safe place to live and get emotional support. If you need help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or Michigan’s sexual assault hotline: 1-855-864-2374.
• Learn your family history.
• Talk to your doctor or another health professional about depression or other mental health concerns.

For more information, visit CDC - About Planning for Pregnancy.

Reproductive and Birth Outcomes MiTracking Indicators

• Fertility
• Infant mortality
• Low birth weight
• Prematurity
• Sex ratio
   

MiTracking Data Can Tell Us

• The numbers and rates of fertility, prematurity, low birth weight, infant mortality, and sex ratio by year.
• If a certain reproductive or birth outcome is going up or down over time.
   

MiTracking Data Cannot Tell Us

• The causes of reproductive and birth outcomes.
   

Find Out More

Data from the Michigan Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics (DVRHS) were used to create this dataset. For more data information, visit:

• About These Data (found on the data portal after a query search).
• Metadata (technical information about the content, quality, and context of the data).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Pregnancy

National Environmental Public Health Tracking (CDC Tracking)

• Data Explorer
• Reproductive and Birth Outcomes

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

• Reproductive Health and the Workplace

Women’s Reproductive Health

March of Dimes

Homepage

• Peristats

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)

Behavioral Health Recovery and Substance Use

Domestic Violence - Find Services in Your Area

Environmental Health

HIV/STI - Data and Statistics

Maternal Child Health Epidemiology Section

Maternal Infant Health Program

Mental Health

Michigan Infant Mortality Statistics

Michigan's Home Visiting Initiative Program

1. Healthy People. Maternal, infant, and child health. https://wayback.archive-it.org/5774/20220413183832/https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/maternal-infant-and-child-health. Accessed June 28, 2024.
2. CDC. About Planning for Pregnancy. https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/about/. Accessed June 28, 2024.