DATA · PREGNANCY

Pregnancy statistics.

How common morning sickness is, U.S. rates of cesarean and preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and prenatal care — the latest figures from the CDC's National Vital Statistics System and NIH.

Compiled by the Whispie Research Team · Updated July 2026

The headline numbers

At a glance.

~80%

of pregnancies involve nausea or vomiting ("morning sickness")

MotherToBaby / NIH

32.3%

U.S. cesarean delivery rate (2023)

CDC

10.4%

U.S. preterm birth rate (2023)

CDC

8.3%

of U.S. pregnancies involve gestational diabetes

CDC (2021)

U.S. birth data (2023)

Births by the numbers.

Indicator	Rate
Cesarean delivery	32.3%
Preterm birth (before 37 weeks)	10.41%
Low birthweight	8.58%
Prenatal care beginning in the first trimester	76.1%
Smoking during pregnancy	3.0%

CDC National Vital Statistics System, Births: Final Data for 2023.

Morning sickness

Nausea & vomiting timeline.

Question	Answer
How common is it?	Affects about 80% of pregnancies
When does it start?	Usually between 4 and 9 weeks
When does it peak?	Between 7 and 12 weeks
When does it ease?	For most, between 12 and 16 weeks

Sources

Where these numbers come from.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Births: Final Data for 2023, National Vital Statistics Reports. cdc.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Gestational diabetes during pregnancy. cdc.gov
MotherToBaby / National Institutes of Health (NIH). Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) fact sheet. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cite this page:
Whispie Research Team. "Pregnancy Statistics (2026)." Whispie. https://www.whispieapp.com/pregnancy-statistics/

Journalists and educators are welcome to reference or link to these statistics. For the underlying data or an interview, email [email protected]

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Pregnancy statistics.