Families

This section is intended for all women who are going to participate in the 2021 National Perinatal Survey. This page provides documentation on all stages of the 2021 survey, from data collection in the maternity ward to the production of results, as well as information on previous surveys.

You are concerned by this survey because :
  • you gave birth in March 2021 and were included in the 2021 National Perinatal Survey.
  • you have parental authority over a child born in March 2021 and included in the National Perinatal Survey.
  • you are the parents of a minor aged from 15 to 17 included in the National Perinatal Survey.
How did the survey go ?

While the women were in the maternity ward, a midwife asked those who had given birth to take part in the survey. If they agreed, the midwife asked them questions for approximately 15 minutes, notably on how their pregnancy went. The midwife also collected information on the delivery and the baby’s health, from the medical file. If this stage of the survey did not happen, at least ten or so data items were collected from the medical file, in order to have delivery characteristics for allwomen in France.

Two months after delivery, if the women included in the survey agreed, a new questionnaire was completed, online or by telephone, to have news of mother and child. This took approximately 15 minutes.

For a broader overview of the medical management and health of the women and of their babies, and to shorten the time spent on the questionnaires at the maternity ward and the two-month follow-up, data on the care of the mothers and their children (number of appointments, medication taken…) stored by the health insurance body were also collected from the National Health Data System (SNDS).

These data on care cover a period from before pregnancy until one year after delivery. The data on the child’s care cover the period from delivery to his or her first birthday.

We greatly thank all survey participants for their essential contribution to obtaining good quality data on perinatal care in France.

More information and advice concerning you and your baby ?

At the maternity ward, the midwife who conducted the interview gave you the survey newsletter, together with a printout of tips and information on your health and your child’s and a list of toll-free numbers and of websites that may be of use to you. This printout and the list were also available after completion of the questionnaire at the two-month follow-up, if you participated in this part of the survey.

You can consult these documents again here. 

What are your rights ?

All authorizations  necessary for the survey were obtained. We guarantee that your data are managed in the strictest confidence at each stage and that only information needed to meet the objectives of the survey are analyzed. The data are processed in accordance with the Data Protection and Civil Liberties law of 6 January 1978 and only the researchers and authorized personnel can access them.

As the midwife explained to you in the maternity ward, you can consult the information concerning you or your child that was collected in this survey and exercise your right to object to, limit, or withdraw some or all of this information. The midwife gave you a newsletter in your room after you gave birth. You can reread it by clicking on the situation that corresponds to yours:

  • You gave birth to a live child during the survey, without serious complications for you or your child
  • You gave birth to a live child during the survey and you or your child had complications (transfer to another hospital, for example) or serious health problems
How to assert your rights ?

If you wish to access information concerning you or your child, or to exercise your right to object to, limit, or withdraw one or more parts of the survey, send an email to enp.2021@inserm.fr indicating:

  • your name and first name
  • your relationship to the woman and/or child included in the survey
  • the date and place of delivery
  • the name and first name of the woman included in the survey, if you are the second holder of parental authority or the parent of a minor aged 15 to 17 years
  • the right(s) you wish to exercise and the part(s) of the survey concerned

You can exercise your rights during the twenty-four months following the delivery.

What happens to the answers you gave in the National Perinatal Survey ?

Approximately one year after the survey, Inserm and its partners will publish a report presenting the main results on perinatal health (for example, the rate of caesarean section or of prematurity). This report will be available in open access on this website. As an example, you can see the main results of the 2016 survey.
Data from the 2021 National Perinatal Survey will also position France with respect to other European countries in the framework of the Euro-Peristat project. For example, the rate of caesarean section or of prematurity in Europe will be compared in different sub-groups of women, thus clarifying what needs to be done in terms of prevention.
To meet all objectives of the National Perinatal Surveys, research will subsequently be conducted by the teams that participated in this survey (Inserm, Ministry of Health, Public Health) and by researchers of other institutions (providing the necessary regulatory authorizations are obtained). These scientific publications are indispensable for the medical community and for public health decision-makers. You can consult past and ongoing research work.

Previous National Perinatal Surveys

The regular National Perinatal Surveys and the strong participation of maternity wards and women ensure that our knowledge of perinatal care is regularly updated and disseminated to healthcare professionals, researchers, and the general public. The results are presented at meetings of researchers and health professionals and are reported in numerous publications in scientific journals.

In 2016, for example, 13 894 women participated in the survey in 513 maternity wards. The teams that coordinated the National Perinatal Surveys and other research teams are still analyzing various topics using data available in ADISP (National Archive of Data from Official Statistics).

For example, a recent analysis showed that only 7% of pregnant women were vaccinated against influenza during their pregnancy, despite that fact that this vaccination is strongly recommended during pregnancy. The public authorities have since strengthened their prevention policy, notably by informing women on the health insurance website. The quality of care around childbirth is important: between 2010 and 2016, there was a decrease in the use of oxytocin (hormone used to facilitate delivery), in line with international clinical practice guidelines. Pain management in the delivery room is currently being analyzed.

Data from the surveys conducted between 1995 and 2016 will also be used for comparison with data from the 2021 survey.