Introduction - This study evaluates the use of initial health certificates (CS8) for monitoring perinatal policy in the Île-de-France (IDF) region. Methods - Each department in IDF provided CS8 data for 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2007. We verified completeness against births registered with the civil registry, analyzed missing data (MD), validated the indicators by comparing them with the 2003 National Perinatal Survey (ENP), and studied changes in the indicators between 2002 and 2007. Results - The completeness of data coverage was 93.3% in 2007 for all births, but lower for preterm infants and low birth weight infants. Variables on antenatal care and neonatal transfer had a high percentage of missing data. Concordance with the ENP was good for maternal age, mode of delivery, and place of birth. During the study, an increase was observed in the number of mothers aged 35 and older, cesarean sections, preterm births, and low birth weight infants. Births in Type I maternity wards decreased overall (from 52% to 31%), for very preterm infants (from 9% to 5%), and for twins (from 34% to 16%). Conclusion - The analysis of CS8 forms describes significant changes in the organization of care in the Île-de-France region and provides a basis for evaluating care. However, the completeness and accuracy of the forms must be improved. (R.A.)