Table of Contents

Component Description

The reproductive health questionnaire (variable name prefix RHQ) contains questions for females only. Questions on reproductive health include menstrual history, pregnancy history, current breastfeeding, and other reproductive conditions.

Eligible Sample

 Female participants aged 12 years and older were eligible. 

Interview Setting and Mode of Administration

These questions were asked at the Mobile Examination Center (MEC) during the MEC Interview using the Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) system, in English and Spanish only. The interview was not administered to proxy informants due to the sensitive nature of the questions. In previous NHANES cycles, reproductive health questions were asked face-to-face using the Computer Assisted Personal Interview system.

Quality Assurance & Quality Control

The ACASI system is programmed with built-in consistency checks to reduce data entry errors. ACASI also uses online help screens to assist interviewers in defining key terms used in the questionnaire.

Data Processing and Editing

 Edits were made to ensure the completeness, consistency, and analytic usefulness of the data.

Analytic Notes

This public use data file excludes select variables related to pregnancy and hysterectomy for females aged 12-19 and older than 44 years due to disclosure risks. A data file with all reproductive health related variables for all females 12 years and older is available in the NCHS Research Data Center.

Several questions were dropped in NHANES August 2021-August 2023 and are not included in this data file: RHQ.018, RHQ.020, RHQ.070, RHQ.071, RHQ.073A—RHQ.073N, RHQ.074, RHQ.076, RHQ.160, RHQ.162, RHQ.171, RHQ.172, RHQ.180, RHQ.190, RHQ.197, RHQ.421, RHQ.540,RHQ.542A—RHQ542D, RHQ.554. RHQ.570.

RHD143: Current pregnancy status from question: “are you pregnant now?” Please note that these responses may differ from the pregnancy status variable RIDEXPRG in the DEMO data file.

Please refer to the NHANES Analytic Guidelines and the on-line NHANES Tutorial for further details on the use of sample weights and other analytic issues.

Codebook and Frequencies

SEQN - Respondent sequence number

Variable Name:
SEQN
SAS Label:
Respondent sequence number
English Text:
Respondent sequence number.
Target:
Females only 12 YEARS - 150 YEARS

RHQ010 - Age when first menstrual period occurred

Variable Name:
RHQ010
SAS Label:
Age when first menstrual period occurred
English Text:
The next series of questions are about {your/SP's} reproductive history. I will begin by asking about {your/SP's} periods or menstrual cycles. How old {were you/was SP} when {you/SP} had {your/her} first menstrual period?
English Instructions:
CODE "0" IF HAVEN'T STARTED YET. CAPI INSTRUCTION: SOFT EDIT VALUES: 8-25 YEARS. HARD EDIT VALUES: AGE OF 1ST PERIOD CANNOT BE GREATER THAN CURRENT AGE. ENTER AGE IN YEARS.
Target:
Females only 12 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
6 to 19 Range of Values 3336 3336
0 Hasn't started yet 28 3364 End of Section
20 20 years or older 5 3369
777 Refused 2 3371
999 Don't know 9 3380
. Missing 537 3917

RHQ031 - Had regular periods in past 12 months

Variable Name:
RHQ031
SAS Label:
Had regular periods in past 12 months
English Text:
{Have you/Has SP} had at least one menstrual period in the past 12 months? (Please do not include bleedings caused by medical conditions, hormone therapy, or surgeries.)
Target:
Females only 12 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 1496 1496
2 No 1854 3350 RHD043
7 Refused 1 3351 RHQ060
9 Don't know 4 3355 RHQ060
. Missing 562 3917

RHD043 - Reason not having regular periods

Variable Name:
RHD043
SAS Label:
Reason not having regular periods
English Text:
What is the reason that {you have/SP has} not had a period in the past 12 months?
Target:
Females only 20 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Pregnancy 6 6
2 Breast feeding 6 12
3 Hysterectomy 502 514
7 Menopause/Change of life 1136 1650
9 Other 177 1827
77 Refused 3 1830
99 Don't know 4 1834
. Missing 2083 3917

RHQ060 - Age at last menstrual period

Variable Name:
RHQ060
SAS Label:
Age at last menstrual period
English Text:
About how old {were you/was SP} when {you/SP} had {your/her} last menstrual period?
English Instructions:
ENTER AGE IN YEARS.
Target:
Females only 12 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
20 to 59 Range of Values 1774 1774
19 19 years or under 30 1804
60 60 years or older 29 1833
777 Refused 0 1833
999 Don't know 6 1839
. Missing 2078 3917

RHQ078 - Ever treated for a pelvic infection/PID?

Variable Name:
RHQ078
SAS Label:
Ever treated for a pelvic infection/PID?
English Text:
{Have you/Has SP} ever been treated for an infection in {your/her} fallopian tubes, uterus or ovaries, also called a pelvic infection, pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID?
Target:
Females only 18 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 76 76
2 No 1587 1663
7 Refused 0 1663
9 Don't know 0 1663
. Missing 2254 3917

RHQ131 - Ever been pregnant?

Variable Name:
RHQ131
SAS Label:
Ever been pregnant?
English Text:
The next questions are about {your/SP's} pregnancy history. {Have you/Has SP ever been pregnant? Please include (current pregnancy,) live births, miscarriages, stillbirths, tubal pregnancies and abortions.
Target:
Females only 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 1114 1114
2 No 429 1543 RHD280
7 Refused 0 1543 RHD280
9 Don't know 0 1543 RHD280
. Missing 2374 3917

RHD143 - Are you pregnant now?

Variable Name:
RHD143
SAS Label:
Are you pregnant now?
English Text:
{Are you/Is SP} pregnant now?
Target:
Females only 20 YEARS - 44 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 30 30
2 No 536 566
7 Refused 0 566
9 Don't know 1 567
. Missing 3350 3917

RHD167 - Total number of deliveries

Variable Name:
RHD167
SAS Label:
Total number of deliveries
English Text:
How many deliveries {have you/has SP} had? (Please count all vaginal and Cesarean deliveries and count stillbirths as well as live births.)
English Instructions:
COUNT THE NUMBER OF DELIVERIES, NOT THE NUMBER OF LIVE-BORN CHILDREN. FOR EXAMPLE, IF SP DELIVERED TWINS OR HAD ANY OTHER MULTIPLE BIRTH, COUNT AS A SINGLE DELIVERY.
Target:
Females only 20 YEARS - 59 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
0 to 4 Range of Values 1047 1047
5 5 or more 67 1114
77 Refused 0 1114
99 Don't know 0 1114
. Missing 2803 3917

RHQ200 - Now breastfeeding a child?

Variable Name:
RHQ200
SAS Label:
Now breastfeeding a child?
English Text:
{Are you/Is SP} now breast feeding a child?
Target:
Females only 20 YEARS - 44 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 28 28
2 No 498 526
7 Refused 0 526
9 Don't know 0 526
. Missing 3391 3917

RHD280 - Had a hysterectomy?

Variable Name:
RHD280
SAS Label:
Had a hysterectomy?
English Text:
{Have you/Has SP} had a hysterectomy that is, surgery to remove {your/her} uterus or womb?
Target:
Females only 20 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 653 653
2 No 2198 2851
7 Refused 0 2851
9 Don't know 2 2853
. Missing 1064 3917

RHQ305 - Had both ovaries removed?

Variable Name:
RHQ305
SAS Label:
Had both ovaries removed?
English Text:
{Have you/Has SP} had both of {your/her} ovaries removed (either when {you/she} had {your/her} uterus removed or at another time)?
Target:
Females only 20 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
1 Yes 359 359
2 No 2485 2844
7 Refused 2 2846
9 Don't know 4 2850
. Missing 1067 3917

RHQ332 - Age when both ovaries removed

Variable Name:
RHQ332
SAS Label:
Age when both ovaries removed
English Text:
How old {were you/was SP} when {you/she} had {your/her} ovaries removed or last ovary removed if removed at different times?
English Instructions:
ENTER AGE IN YEARS.
Target:
Females only 20 YEARS - 150 YEARS
Code or Value Value Description Count Cumulative Skip to Item
22 to 59 Range of Values 308 308
19 19 years or under 1 309
60 60 years or older 46 355
777 Refused 0 355
999 Don't know 4 359
. Missing 3558 3917