The California Birth Defects Monitoring Program rigorously collects and analyzes scientific data to answer questions about birth defects… including the ultimate question: what causes them?

Findings presented in our website come from:

	Registry data. The Program gathers medical information on all babies born with serious birth defects in a subset of California's population. We report current rates and occurrence patterns based on this registry data.
	Research discoveries. We conduct numerous studies to uncover risk factors for birth defects, looking at a variety of conditions and environmental exposures. Cases are identified from our ongoing surveillance area as well as other parts of California. Many studies involve in-depth interviews with mothers; some include biologic or genetic testing.