A study conducted by researchers at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) has confirmed that exposing expectant mothers to virtual reality (VR) images of their fetuses significantly enhances maternal-fetal bonding and reduces depression.

Along with the declining birthrate in Korea, the proportion of high-risk and elderly pregnancies is increasing.

The number of depression cases among expectant mothers due to stress caused by pregnancy complications and difficulties during pregnancy is also increasing.

Maternal depression is a serious problem as it can lead to various harms, such as parental avoidance and child abuse. 

Multiple studies have provided evidence that a strong bond between mother and baby can be instrumental in preventing postpartum depression and anxiety.

The SNUBH team, led by Professors Park Jee-yoon and Kim Hyeon-ji of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Myung Woo-jae of the Department of Psychiatry, conducted a study to see if using advanced technologies such as VR to help pregnant women have a positive experience of their pregnancy could increase their attachment to their unborn child and lower their depression.

The research team conducted a randomized clinical trial for women who were over 20 weeks pregnant and visiting SNUBH for prenatal care from June 2021. The researchers assigned 40 women to the VR test group and another 40 to the control group.

All participants received information on prenatal care, including recommended diets, for about six weeks and were trained to use a mobile app to record personal health data such as weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.

Particularly for the VR group, VR technology was applied to the prenatal ultrasound images to create a three-dimensional stereoscopic image of the fetus that could be viewed anytime, anywhere, through the mobile app.

The same prenatal ultrasound was performed for the control group as part of the prenatal examination but without VR imaging.

Both groups completed a questionnaire before and after the ultrasound to determine their level of attachment to the fetus.

The findings from the study revealed that the VR group exhibited a significant increase of 0.4 in attachment scores, which was four times higher than the control group's increase of 0.1.

Forty-three percent of mothers in the VR group experienced an increase in fetal interaction scores, whereas only 13 percent of mothers in the control group showed a similar increase.

The VR group also showed higher levels of imagination and perception of the fetus' appearance.

"The study allowed pregnant women to observe the realistic images of their unborn child using advanced technology, contributing to forming a bond with their unborn child and their mental health," Professor Park said. "Since SNUBH was designated as a high-risk maternal and neonatal integrated treatment center in 2017, we have been collaborating with the Department of Psychiatry to evaluate postpartum depression in high-risk pregnant women with high anxiety about preterm birth, and it is meaningful that such multidisciplinary care has led to the recent research results."

The study was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in March.