Background: Perinatal #MentalHealth disorders affect #Approximately 20% of pregnant and postpartum individuals, and are associated with substantial maternal and infant morbidity. Traditional assessment relies on infrequent, subjective self-reports. Mobile devices, including smartphones and wearables, offer opportunities for continuous and objective measurement, but evidence on their assessment utility in perinatal populations remains fragmented. Objective: This review aimed to examine the #Application of wearable devices and smartphones for detecting and predicting perinatal #MentalHealth outcomes, with emphasis on predictive performance, informative features, and methodological rigor. Methods: We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines (PROSPERO CRD420251249218). Six databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, IEEE Xplore, and ACM #Digital Library) were searched initially in January 2026 and supplemented by an amended search in June 2026, with no publication date restrictions. Evidence was synthesized narratively, and the risk of bias was assessed using PROBAST+AI (Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool With AI extension). Results: The initial and supplementary searches yielded 1952 unique records after deduplication, of which 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. The included studies covered postpartum #depression, prenatal stress, discrete emotions during pregnancy (eg, h#Appiness, #anxiety, and sadness), and maternal loneliness. High discrimination metrics were reported for postpartum #depression in individual studies, including a multiclass area under the curve of 0.85, a binary area under the curve of 0.871, and an -score of 0.9872. Heart rate variability, GPS-derived mobility, physical activity, and sleep features were most frequently reported as useful, and their interpretation requires perinatal-specific contextualization. Methodological quality was limited, with 80% (12/15) of PROBAST+AI assessment units rated as having high overall quality concern or risk of bias, mainly due to small samples, limited validation, inadequate handling of missing data, and potential overfitting in the analysis domain. Conclusions: Mobile sensing shows preliminary potential for perinatal #MentalHealth assessment, but current evidence does not yet support clinical screening or decision-making, and independent external validation in perinatal populations is currently lacking. Progress toward clinical utility requires broader #MentalHealth outcome coverage, larger longitudinal cohorts, standardized analytical and reporting practices, adoption of modeling #Approaches better suited to perinatal trajectories, independent external validation, and human-centered monitoring designs.

Despite the importance of sleep for perinatal health, there is limited research examining whether different measurement modalities may yield inconsistent data from pregnancy through postpartum. We aim...

Des études menées en Belgique révèlent que l’exposition à de fortes chaleurs durant le troisième trimestre de grossesse augmente les risques de prématurité, de retard de croissance et de mortalité…

Background: Depression during the perinatal period poses significant risks to both maternal and infant health. Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown promise as a safe and well-tolerated intervention for perinatal depression, empirical evidence remains limited, and no prior study has integrated clinical outcomes with continuous objective behavioral monitoring. Objective: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the #feasibility and preliminary effects of home-based tDCS combined with wearable monitoring in women with perinatal depression and to explore the correlation between behavioral and clinical measures. Methods: In total, 38 perinatal women completed a 4-week self-administered tDCS protocol targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with 30-minute daily sessions. Participants continuously wore a wrist device (Fitbit Inspire 2) that passively collected data on the step count, distance traveled, calorie expenditure, and heart rate. Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline (week 0), midintervention (week 2), and postintervention (week 4) using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Linear mixed models (LMMs) and nonparametric tests were used to evaluate changes over time, and correlations between behavioral and clinical variables were analyzed. Results: Significant reductions were observed in depressive symptoms from baseline to postintervention. Mean MADRS scores decreased from 21.3 (SD 5.2) at baseline to 12.3 (SD 8.5) at week 4 (P

Background: Perinatal Substance Use Disorders (SUD) are frequently comorbid with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), contributing to adverse maternal and child outcomes. Access to integrated mental health support within existing SUD service frameworks is limited, particularly for pregnant and parenting individuals facing socioeconomic and psychosocial instability. Promoting Healthy Families (PHF) is a brief behavioral intervention designed for delivery by case managers serving high-risk perinatal populations with substance use within programs such as Parent Child Assistance Program (PCAP). Objective: We aimed to evaluate the #feasibility of integrating PHF into intensive case management for pregnant and postpartum clients with at-risk perinatal substance use, and to assess preliminary outcomes of measures of maternal depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms. Methods: In this non – randomized pilot study (April 2018 – September 2021) eligible clients were allocated to either PCAP alone (control) or to PHF delivered within PCAP (intervention). Case managers (CMs) completed an anonymous #feasibility survey addressing ease of delivery and fit with their workflow. Participating clients completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder- (GAD-7) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-6) at baseline and at 4, 6, and 12 months. Data collection overlapped with the #covid19 pandemic, which affected service access and delivery. Results: CMs and one program supervisor (n=10) reported that PHF was feasible to deliver within PCAP, and all respondents indicated clients benefited somewhat (70%) or a lot (30%). Most (70%) noted an increase in workload and recommended additional supervision and training. The pilot study enrolled 58 clients (29 PHF+PCAP and 29 PCAP), with 60% completing all follow-up assessments. While differences between groups over time were not statistically significant, changes were in the predicted direction for PHQ-9 and PCL-6 scores. Symptom improvement rates were high: In the PHF+PCAP group, 85% showed ≥ 5-point PHQ-9 decreases, 68% had ≥6 point GAD-7 decreases, and 93% had ≥ 5-point PCL-6 decreases. Conclusions: PHF can be feasibly delivered within an existing intensive case management program for perinatal SUD, with early signals of mental health improvement across both intervention and control groups. Future adequately powered randomized controlled trials should investigate the effectiveness of brief behavioral interventions within perinatal SUD case management programs, optimal delivery timing and its potential to enhance mental health care integration for high – risk perinatal populations.

Background: Mobile Behavioral Activation (BA) is efficacious for the treatment of perinatal depression, however, the effect of comorbidity on symptom trajectories remains underexplored which is important given that at least 10% of women in the perinatal…

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

SMFM Statement on Impact of Cuts to Federal Health Agencies and Infrastructure on Maternal and Infant Health.

Patients at a fertility clinic experience excruciating, unexpected pain. For months the reason for that pain remains hidden. Then they get a letter from the clinic.

Curated by ACOG, this collection of resources is designed to combat the growing threat of health care misinformation.