NBDPS began in 1996 when Congress directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish the Centers for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (CBDRP). The centers were established in Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Georgia. NBDPS was a population-based, case-control study that collected data on babies born between 1997 and 2011.

Among all centers, more than 35,000 women were interviewed for the NBDPS study. The women interviewed were both mothers who had pregnancies affected by birth defects and mothers who had babies unaffected by birth defects. The participating women were also asked to collect cheek cells from their families, which are now being used in genetic studies.

NBDPS data is not released to the public, and no information is given to anyone who is not an approved children’s health researcher on this study. The privacy of the women and their families is safeguarded so that no identifiable information is available to researchers.

Although NBDPS ended more than a decade ago, researchers continue to analyze this rich source of information on birth defects. The data has been invaluable and has furthered knowledge on birth defects and risk factors.