June 30, 2025

Exploring important women’s health topics with data from Garmin devices.

Everyday experiences of women — such as menstrual pain, breastfeeding or returning to physical activity after birth — impact millions of women each year. However, these women’s health topics have not been studied to the same degree as other areas of health research¹.

In 2023, the Garmin Health team collaborated with Labfront, a global organization specializing in health data analytics, to launch Women’s Health Research Initiative, which provided selected research proposals with access to Garmin smartwatches and the digital biomarker collection and analytics platform of Labfront.

This Garmin Health Research Glimpse provides an overview of the findings from those grant recipients and explains how they utilized the Garmin Health Connected Ecosystem to collect the data points that made their research possible.

Assessment of cardiac variation in the premenstrual period and association with primary dysmenorrhea

Predictor Solutions Ltda., Brazil, Prof. Dr. Renato Vilella

The study: To detect early signs of menstrual pain, researchers analyzed health metrics from Garmin devices and built a predictive model capable of forecasting pain up to three days in advance.

How Garmin factors in: Through the monitoring of heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate, stress levels and sleep from Garmin smartwatches, the research team was able to assimilate large amounts of data, a necessity for projects using advanced machine learning to determine future outcomes.

The goal: This technology is intended to be integrated into an app for personalized alerts, and research is currently being expanded to predict additional cycle-related symptoms and chronic pain conditions.

The connection between mothers, who have experienced child maltreatment in their past, and their self-perception, bodily and emotional reactions during breastfeeding

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, Sharon Almougy

The study: Using biometrics recorded by Garmin smartwatches, this project explored how early trauma impacts a mother’s self-image and emotional experiences during breastfeeding. Initial data indicated a key psychological mechanism — self-objectification — may influence the mother’s ability to bond and have a positive experience breastfeeding.

How Garmin factors in: By evaluating beat-to-beat intervals, HRV, sleep quality, stress levels and step count from Garmin devices, researchers were able to connect physical signals with emotional and psychological patterns in this vulnerable population.

The goal: Future work is planned with a larger group of participants and a deeper focus on the emotional attachment between mother and baby. Preliminary results illustrate trauma-informed care for mothers with a history of maltreatment could be beneficial.

Sprint interval training in the postpartum period maintains the enhanced cardiac output of pregnancy: A case study

Trinity Western University and Simon Fraser University, Canada, Normand Richard

The case study: A postpartum athlete used sprint interval training (SIT) to preserve pregnancy-related cardiovascular gains, with results showing SIT helped maintain elevated cardiac output and supported a fast return to peak performance².

How Garmin factors in: A Garmin smartwatch — measuring heart rate, HRV, training load and sleep — enabled noninvasive, real-world data collection, which allowed the study to reflect authentic training conditions.

The goal: Based on these initial results, the study now includes a larger group of women athletes and is exploring how pregnancy and postpartum training affect heart structure and long-term cardiovascular health.

The Women’s Health Research Initiative program is currently evaluating proposals for new grant recipients. To apply, visit the submission page. Through the combination of Garmin smartwatches and the Labfront analytics platform, researchers can analyze large amounts of data and contribute new findings to the important field of women’s health.

For more than a decade, the Garmin Health division has collaborated with leading institutions across the world. To learn more, visit www.garmin.com/third-party-studies-overview for additional research projects. All information on research and clinical trials can be found here.

_{Garmin devices are not designed or intended to monitor or diagnose diseases or any medical conditions. Find information on metric accuracy here.}

¹_{https://www.nature.com/articles/s44222-024-00253-7}

²_{https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1113/EP091994}