Oxford researchers develop wearable ultrasound patch for continuous pregnancy monitoring

Published in Nature Biotechnology, the study introduces the UPatch - a soft, wearable ultrasound device designed to continuously monitor fetal anatomy and blood flow in real time during pregnancy, offering clinicians a potential new way to identify signs of fetal compromise earlier in high-risk pregnancies.

The research was led by Professor Antoniya Georgieva at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health in collaboration with Professor Sheng Xu and colleagues at the University of California San Diego and Stanford University

Addressing a major gap in fetal monitoring

This can make it difficult for clinicians to distinguish between temporary changes and signs of sustained fetal compromise, particularly in pregnancies affected by conditions such as pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and maternal hypertension.

The UPatch was designed to address this challenge by enabling continuous, autonomous monitoring of fetal blood flow over extended periods.

The soft wearable patch sits on the maternal abdomen and can automatically track moving fetal blood vessels even during fetal and maternal movement. Researchers say this could provide clinicians with a far more detailed understanding of fetal physiology throughout pregnancy.

About the study

The device was evaluated in 62 pregnancies against standard handheld ultrasound systems and demonstrated strong agreement in key fetal measurements.

Researchers then used the patch for continuous monitoring sessions lasting between one and six hours in 52 pregnant women, including pregnancies affected by: pre-eclampsia gestational diabetes maternal hypertension fetal growth restriction.

The study found that continuous monitoring could identify important changes in fetal blood flow associated with placental dysfunction and fetal compromise.

In one pre-eclamptic pregnancy, the device detected severely abnormal blood-flow patterns that prompted intensified clinical monitoring and delivery by Caesarean section four days later.

Supporting future personalised pregnancy care

Researchers emphasise that the technology is still at the research stage and is not yet approved for routine clinical use. However, the team believes wearable continuous ultrasound monitoring could eventually support: earlier identification of fetal compromise improved monitoring in high-risk pregnancies more personalised maternity care better understanding of fetal physiology and stillbirth mechanisms.

“This technology opens the possibility of monitoring fetal wellbeing continuously and non-invasively over much longer periods than is currently possible.” Professor Antoniya Georgieva

"This is the kind of technology obstetrics has been waiting for, with the potential to transform pregnancy care by helping women feel safer, more reassured and better supported throughout pregnancy, while also reducing unnecessary hospital visits, repeated scans and avoidable interventions." - Mariana Tome, researcher at Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health

“This work shows how advances in soft electronics, ultrasound engineering and clinical science can come together to address one of the most important unmet needs in pregnancy care.” - Professor Sheng Xu, senior author and engineer, Standford University

"This technology could expand access to prenatal imaging in healthcare deserts and low-resource settings, where shortages of trained sonographers often delay care for high-risk pregnancies.” - Dr Tom Park, first author and main engineer who designed and fabricated the UPatch 

The work was supported by Wellcome Leap through its In Utero programme, which aims to develop scalable technologies to better understand fetal development during pregnancy.