Each year, about 1 in every 33 babies born in the United States is affected by a birth defect, a leading cause of death in the first year of life according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To address this problem, the CDC Foundation today announced a new preconception health app that will help women of reproductive age explore how to protect their health and the health of babies they may give birth to in the future.

Strong, accurate data are critical for identifying opportunities for preventing deaths among mothers and designing effective interventions. A new collaboration between the CDC Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs will produce stronger data than ever before and foster collaboration that can lead to effective interventions. Funding for the collaboration was provided through an award agreement with Merck on behalf of its Merck for Mothers program.