Key Points

• The proportion of women aged 35 or older at childbirth rose to 23.3% in 2024. Conversely, “teenage” pregnancies (< 20 years old) declined (1.8% in 2024).
• Recipients of State Medical Aid (AME) or the free Solidarity Health Supplement (C2S) accounted for 1.4% and 15.3%, respectively, of women who gave birth in the Centre-Val de Loire region in 2024 (16.6% in total), a proportion slightly below the national average (17.4%).
• The prevalence of pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity (41.0% in 2021) as well as that of pre-existing diabetes (0.95% in 2024) are on the rise in the region, as they are throughout France. The Centre-Val de Loire region is among those in mainland France with the highest rates.
• The proportions of women who smoked one year before their pregnancy (30.3%) and during the third trimester of pregnancy (16.3%) were higher in the Centre-Val de Loire than those observed across France as a whole in 2021.
• In 2021, 71.1% of women attempted to breastfeed their babies; 65.0% had established mixed or exclusive breastfeeding in the maternity ward; and at 2 months of age, 51.0% of infants were being fed through mixed or exclusive breastfeeding.
• Perinatal mental health indicators are unfavorable in the region, with 2021 rates exceeding the national average for unwanted or unplanned pregnancies (21.9% vs. 17.1%), as well as symptoms of depression (20.2% vs. 16.8%) and anxiety (31.8% vs. 27.5%) two months after delivery.
• 82.6% of infants are consistently placed on their backs two months after birth, but 11.6% are primarily placed in their parents’ bed (a risky practice).
• Complications of childbirth are more common in the region, with rates of postpartum hemorrhage (9.4%) and severe postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) (1.45%) significantly higher than in France (7.3% and 0.92%, respectively).