Wearable Device Can Predict Premature Birth Risk
A recent study published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE has revealed that wearable devices may be able to detect potential signs of premature birth by tracking the variability of a future mother’s heart rhythm. This groundbreaking discovery could lead to new preventative measures for one of the leading risk factors for the health of unborn children.
Premature birth, defined as birth before the 37th week of gestation, affects 15 million children every year and is on the rise. The consequences of preterm birth, such as the incomplete development of the fetus at birth, are the leading cause of death for children under 5 years of age.
Currently, the risk of premature birth often goes unnoticed in the absence of clinical signs or known pathologies in the mother or fetus. However, the study suggests that changes in heart rhythm variability, measured using wearable fitness trackers, could indicate the risk of premature birth even in patients without known risk factors.
The research, conducted by a group of gynecologists from the West Virginia University School of Medicine in collaboration with a fitness tracker brand, found that the variability of a mother’s heart rhythm could provide information about the possibility of premature birth. By analyzing data recorded by wrist-based fitness trackers worn by 241 pregnant women, including 21 who had a premature birth, the researchers suggested that the variability of the mother’s heart rhythm is indeed related to the time remaining until delivery and can be used as a parameter to assess the risk of preterm birth.
The implications of this discovery are significant, as the early prediction of the risk of preterm birth could allow for the implementation of necessary protective measures to delay childbirth and allow fetal growth, particularly in areas with fewer services for future mothers where medical help is more difficult to find. The ongoing research and development of wearable technology for maternal health has the potential to revolutionize prenatal care and improve outcomes for both mothers and their unborn children.