Two national inquiries were carried out in France by INSERM in 1972 and in 1975-1976 to review the efficiency of using medical discoveries and health programs. The 1st was carried out on a representative sample of 11,254 deliveries and the 2nd on a representative sample of 4685 deliveries. The perinatal mortality rate and the prematurity rate definitely went down while the birth weight stayed more or less the same and the number of small-for-dates babies tended to increase. Antenatal care improved considerably for most women, without the idea of high risk factors becoming integrated. The number of maternity units with fewer than 15 beds considerably dropped, especially in the private sector. Monitoring of labor and of the newborn showed certain progress. These changes exist in a family context which is evolving with more planned pregnancies and a slight improvement in the social and cultural conditions of parents.