title: Validation of birth outcomes from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System (SART CORS): population-based analysis from the Massachusetts Outcome Study of Assisted Reproductive Technology (MOSART).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the validity of outcome data reported to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System (SART CORS) compared with data from vital records and the birth defects registry in Massachusetts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 342,035 live births and fetal deaths from Massachusetts mothers giving birth in the state from July 1, 2004, to December 31, 2008; 9,092 births and fetal deaths were from mothers who had conceived with the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) and whose cycle data had been reported to the SART CORS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Percentage agreement between maternal race and ethnicity, delivery outcome (live birth or fetal death), plurality (singleton, twin, or triplet+), delivery date, and singleton birth weight reported in the SART CORS versus vital records; sensitivity and specificity for birth defects among singletons as reported in the SART CORS versus the Massachusetts Birth Defects Monitoring Program (BDMP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was >95% agreement between the SART CORS and vital records for fields of maternal race/ethnicity, live birth/fetal death, and plurality; birth outcome date was within 1 day with 94.9% agreement and birth weight was within 100 g with 89.6% agreement. In contrast, sensitivity for report of any birth defect was 38.6%, with a range of 18.4%-50.0%, for specific birth defect categories.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although most SART CORS outcome fields are accurately reported, birth defect variables showed poor sensitivity compared with the gold standard data from the BDMP. We suggest that reporting of birth defects be discontinued.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pathology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire. Electronic address: judy.e.stern@dartmouth.edu.
authors.forename: Judy E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Daksha
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gopal
authors.affiliation: Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Rebecca F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Liberman
authors.affiliation: Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anderka
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School Boston, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Milton
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kotelchuck
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Luke
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D000068598:Data Accuracy; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005313:Fetal Death; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D050498:Live Birth; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple; D012042:Registries; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: ART; Birth weight; birth defects; plurality; race; validation