The number of births to women who initiated prenatal care during the first trimester of pregnancy (before 13 weeks gestation), expressed as a percentage of all live births.
Early, high-quality prenatal care is critical to reducing risks for complications of pregnancy or birth and improving birth outcomes.
In 2019, 85% of women in Berks County received early prenatal care, a higher percentage than in Pennsylvania or the nation, at 75% and 76%, respectively. The county rate rose 19 percentage points since 2007, a larger increase than the state level (11 percentage points).
The percentage of women who received early prenatal care in Berks County in 2019 was higher than in Lancaster (68%), Lebanon (78%) and Schuylkill (75%) counties. Berks was fairly similar to Chester, Lehigh and Montgomery (80%, 84% and 82%, respectively). The percentage increase in Berks from 2007 to 2019 was larger than most of the surrounding counties. Unlike Berks, Schuylkill's prenatal care rate declined from 2007 to 2019 by 3 percentage points.
The rate excludes the number of live births for which the date of entry into prenatal care is unknown. In addition to considering when prenatal care began, it is also important to understand the quality and continuity of care received throughout the pregnancy. Comparable national data is not available before 2014.
There may be additional research available on this topic. Click on Reports and Resources to learn more.
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 71% | 72% | 75% | 75% | 76% | 76% | |||||||
| Pennsylvania | 64% | 66% | 67% | 68% | 69% | 69% | 69% | 72% | 72% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% |
| Berks County | 66% | 67% | 67% | 70% | 73% | 74% | 75% | 79% | 79% | 82% | 84% | 83% | 85% |
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| Chester County | 74% | 74% | 74% | 74% | 73% | 74% | 75% | 76% | 76% | 80% | 80% | 81% | 80% |
| Lancaster County | 65% | 63% | 64% | 60% | 61% | 61% | 61% | 67% | 65% | 67% | 68% | 66% | 68% |
| Lebanon County | 70% | 66% | 70% | 69% | 70% | 70% | 71% | 76% | 78% | 78% | 75% | 78% | 78% |
| Lehigh County | 63% | 68% | 70% | 73% | 73% | 72% | 71% | 77% | 63% | 81% | 80% | 79% | 84% |
| Montgomery County | 69% | 72% | 72% | 72% | 72% | 75% | 74% | 76% | 77% | 81% | 79% | 82% | 82% |
| Schuylkill County | 78% | 79% | 85% | 82% | 80% | 82% | 80% | 80% | 74% | 77% | 76% | 76% | 75% |
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2,824,607 | 2,854,065 | 2,956,775 | 2,903,759 | 2,864,344 | 2,842,295 | |||||||
| Pennsylvania | 96,960 | 97,894 | 98,744 | 97,897 | 98,639 | 98,859 | 97,163 | 102,998 | 101,899 | 104,676 | 103,171 | 101,817 | 101,160 |
| Berks County | 3,286 | 3,320 | 3,283 | 3,259 | 3,432 | 3,490 | 3,499 | 3,781 | 3,665 | 3,819 | 3,840 | 3,711 | 3,872 |
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| Chester County | 4,440 | 4,408 | 4,266 | 4,001 | 3,988 | 3,960 | 3,977 | 4,093 | 4,092 | 4,147 | 4,172 | 4,247 | 4,158 |
| Lancaster County | 4,717 | 4,495 | 4,537 | 4,061 | 4,188 | 4,203 | 4,215 | 4,697 | 4,665 | 4,616 | 4,868 | 4,560 | 4,640 |
| Lebanon County | 1,112 | 1,014 | 1,046 | 1,018 | 1,084 | 1,085 | 1,043 | 1,158 | 1,157 | 1,150 | 1,117 | 1,142 | 1,170 |
| Lehigh County | 2,708 | 2,838 | 2,887 | 2,905 | 2,877 | 2,863 | 2,861 | 3,097 | 2,549 | 3,319 | 3,327 | 3,318 | 3,468 |
| Montgomery County | 6,294 | 6,738 | 6,593 | 6,485 | 6,408 | 6,640 | 6,403 | 6,666 | 6,716 | 6,905 | 6,810 | 6,876 | 6,788 |
| Schuylkill County | 1,094 | 1,175 | 1,148 | 1,064 | 1,099 | 1,036 | 1,017 | 1,026 | 923 | 983 | 932 | 906 | 916 |
| INDICATORS | TREND | BERKS COUNTY |
|---|---|
| Early Prenatal Care |  Increasing |
| Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Children Living in Poverty | Increasing |
| Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Single-Parent Families | Increasing |
| Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Disengaged Youth |  Decreasing |
| Live Births to Teen Mothers | Decreasing |
| Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels |  Maintaining |
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