Imagine slipping on your everyday smartwatch and getting a heads-up on your pregnancy health—sounds like the future, right? Scientists at Scripps Research are making it real with a new study showing how devices like the Apple Watch, Garmin, or Fitbit can track key changes during pregnancy. These wearable devices might just transform pregnancy care by spotting abnormalities early and monitoring moms from afar.
The research focuses on how these fitness trackers capture everyday signals, like heart rate, that shift with pregnancy hormones. “Wearable devices give us a fresh way to tackle the many pregnancy risks we see in the US,” says Giorgio Quer, who leads AI efforts and teaches digital medicine at Scripps Research. He adds that the data from these sensors matches hormone ups and downs, helping spot patterns unique to successful pregnancies. This could mean better tracking of maternal health right from conception through postpartum recovery.
For the study, the team gathered data from 108 women, starting three months before pregnancy and going up to six months after birth. They used smart stats to sift through the info, adjusting for personal differences and gadget variations. What they found? Clear links between wearable readings and major pregnancy hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and hCG—these drive a healthy pregnancy and signal how it’s going.
Heart rate stole the show in the findings. In early pregnancy, it dips around weeks five to nine, then climbs steadily, peaking at up to 9.4 beats per minute higher than before pregnancy—right around eight or nine weeks before delivery. Post-birth, it drops below normal, then settles by six months later. The researchers also noted shifts in sleep and activity levels, painting a full picture of pregnancy changes.
To double-check, they matched their wearable data against hormone studies from the past, building models that predict heart rate based on those fluctuations. Sure, this is early research, but it hints at big wins for prenatal care. Think about moms in remote areas with limited doctor access—wearable pregnancy monitoring could bridge that gap, making health checks as simple as checking your steps.
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