A simple fitness tracker may help transform maternal health care. Researchers at Scripps Research found early evidence that wearable devices like the Apple Watch, Garmin and Fitbit could remotely monitor pregnancy-related changes by tracking physiological signals, such as heart rate, that are linked to hormonal fluctuations.
“Wearable devices offer a unique opportunity to develop innovative solutions that address the high number of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the U.S.,”
says co-senior author Giorgio Quer, the director of artificial intelligence and assistant professor of Digital Medicine at Scripps Research.
“Our results show that signals collected via wearable sensors follow the expected changes in hormone levels and can detect unique patterns specific to live-birth pregnancies, potentially allowing the monitoring of maternal health throughout the pregnancy and postpartum.”
The findings, published in eBioMedicine, come at a critical time for maternal health in the U.S. More than 2 million women of reproductive age live in maternal care deserts, areas with very limited access to obstetric care. The study is titled “Association between wearable sensor signals and expected hormonal changes in pregnancy.”
Pregnancy complications, including miscarriage and preterm birth, remain major threats to maternal and infant health, highlighting the need for better ways to monitor and manage these conditions.
This research represents an important step toward improving pregnancy monitoring through technology many people already own and use. By converting consumer devices into medical monitoring tools, the method could help close health care gaps and provide continuous support for high-risk pregnancies.
The digital strategy also builds on growing evidence that wearable devices can detect meaningful health changes earlier. Previous research has demonstrated their ability to identify COVID-19 infections and other conditions through physiological pattern analysis.
“We want to understand if these patterns are consistent across subgroups based on age and access to care,”
says first author and UC San Diego graduate student, Giulia Milan, who conducted this study in collaboration with Scripps Research.
“Our goal is to determine whether this approach could eventually contribute to more personalized pregnancy care.”
