Pregnancy is often a time of excitement, change, and — let’s be honest — a lot of “is this normal?” questions. From unexpected cravings to changing moods and constantly changing bodies, expectant mothers are constantly trying to keep track of both their physical and mental health. Enter Apple watchOS 11. The new Apple Watch OS update comes with a feature that’s specifically designed for pregnancy. The feature will also be available by default on the new Apple Watch Series 10. But what makes this update stand out from the crowd? Dr. Lauren Cheung, an internal medicine physician who works on Apple’s health products, told us all about the feature, why it was developed, and how it works.

Dr. Cheung, who has long been involved in the digital health space, emphasizes the importance of these new features in making the chaotic journey of pregnancy a little easier. “So much can change in your physical and mental health during pregnancy, and while you’re probably paying even more attention to your data than usual, it can be hard to understand what’s normal and what’s not,” she explains. “And now, with these new pregnancy updates, the Health app can help you better understand that data by making adjustments and recommendations to reflect those changes.”

Gestational age tracking and symptom logging

watchOS 11 also has a new feature to track pregnancy age and log symptoms in the Cycle Tracking app. “Cycle Tracking shows your current pregnancy age and allows you to log symptoms for normal pregnancy experiences, such as changes in appetite. This way, you can see when you were pregnant across all your Health app charts,” says Dr. Cheung.

But what does this mean in practice? Instead of trying to remember when your pregnancy cravings started or how your body was feeling during a particular week, the app tracks these changes and visualizes them. The days you’re pregnant appear in green, while future days are outlined with a dashed line — essentially giving you a roadmap throughout your pregnancy. The goal? To help moms-to-be easily recognize patterns and make informed decisions.

Mental health matters

Pregnancy isn’t just a physical change – it’s an emotional roller coaster, and mental health is just as important as physical wellness. Apple has integrated regular mental health assessments into the Health app, specifically for pregnant users. “Maternal health is a global health issue in which mental health is particularly important. And at Apple, we believe that mental health is just as important as physical health. Pregnancy is a transformative period that often causes significant changes to a person’s physical and mental health. Your body changes, it can be physically uncomfortable, you’re experiencing a range of hormones that affect the way you feel, and you may lose sleep – it can be a lot,” says Dr. Cheung. “That’s why we’ve made it possible for pregnant users to be reminded to take mental health assessments more regularly,” she adds.

The feature also provides assessments covering risks for conditions such as depression and anxiety, and can be shared with healthcare providers. “These assessments can help you determine your level of risk, connect you with available resources in your area, and create a PDF to share with your doctor, and if you log a pregnancy, you can choose to be reminded to take these more regularly.”

Stability in walking

As pregnancy progresses, it’s not just your belly that grows – your center of gravity changes, and balance becomes even more challenging, especially in the third trimester. Enter the Walking Steadiness feature, available on iPhone. Dr. Cheung explains it: “Balance and stability typically decline during the later stages of pregnancy, which can increase your risk of falling. For users in the third trimester of pregnancy, the Walking Steadiness feature can alert them more quickly when their walking steadyness reaches a low or very low level.”

This feature is literally a lifesaver. Falling during pregnancy can be dangerous, and having an early warning system allows users to take preventive measures before a fall occurs, such as adjusting their speed or seeking help.

The Walking Steadiness feature is already present on the Apple Watch. However, now this feature has been incorporated into the pregnancy tracking feature.

What happened to your data?

With all these new features, concerns about data privacy are bound to arise. “Privacy is very important when it comes to your health data,” says Dr. Cheung. “Your information in the Health app, including pregnancy data, is encrypted on the device and can only be accessed via your passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID, and is never shared without your explicit permission. We believe your data is yours, and only you get to decide if you want to share it and with whom.”