Early Detection of Perinatal Depression With Wearable Technology

Biometrics in Longitudinal Uptake for Early Monitoring and Assessing Perinatal Patterns of Emotions in Depression

The goal of this feasibility study is to learn whether wearable devices and self-report surveys can help researchers better understand changes in mood during pregnancy and after birth in young pregnant individuals with a history of major depressive disorder. The study will also examine whether this type of monitoring is practical and acceptable for participants and clinicians. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Can researchers successfully collect wearable and survey data throughout late pregnancy and the first 3 months after birth?
• Do participants and clinicians find wearable-based monitoring easy to use and helpful?
• Are changes in sleep, heart rate, activity, and other wearable data linked to mood changes during the perinatal period?

Researchers will compare 2 wearable devices, the Oura Ring and EmbracePlus, to see which device provides more complete and usable data.

Participants will:

• Wear either the Oura Ring or EmbracePlus device every day from the third trimester of pregnancy until 3 months after birth
• Complete short daily and biweekly questionnaires about mood and wellbeing
• Allow the wearable device to collect information such as sleep, heart rate, heart rate variability, and physical activity

The study will include 10 participants. Researchers will measure feasibility by looking at how many participants join the study and how much study data is completed. The study team hopes at least 70% of scheduled study activities data will be collected.

Researchers will also interview 5 participants and 4 reproductive psychiatry clinicians about their experiences using wearable monitoring. These interviews will explore ease of use, usefulness in clinical care, and how wearable data may fit into electronic medical records.

This study may help researchers develop future tools that can predict the risk of perinatal depression earlier and support more personalized care during pregnancy and after birth.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 16 years
• Pregnant, 13-27 weeks gestation at enrollment
• Previous diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD), confirmed by Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) (not necessarily perinatal onset)
• Currently in remission (EPDS score < 9)
• Access to a smartphone and internet, or willingness to use a study-provided device

Exclusion Criteria:

• Active alcohol or substance use disorder within the past 12 months
• Active suicidal ideation
• History of bipolar disorder or primary psychotic disorder
• Physical condition preventing use of Oura Ring or EmbracePlus (expected to be rare)