Trial reportJournal of medical Internet research2023
Effects of Fetal Images Produced in Virtual Reality on Maternal-Fetal Attachment: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Journal of medical Internet research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04942197 (Evaluation of Fetal Realization Service Using Fetal 3D Avatar Creation and Health Care Application for Pregnant Women), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Evaluation of Fetal Realization Service Using Fetal 3D Avatar Creation and Health Care Application for Pregnant Women
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prenatal attachment interventions: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of women's mental health · 2025Pooled it
- A scientometric analysis and visualization of prenatal attachment research: A global perspective.Medicine · 2026Article
- Early versus late termination for fetal anomalies: Women's perspectives and psychological impact in a mixed methods study.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2026Article
- Virtual reality for the treatment of perinatal mental health: a rapid scoping review.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Talking to Your Patients About Alcohol, Marijuana, and Substance Use During Pregnancy.The primary care companion for CNS disorders · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMaternal-fetal attachment (MFA) has been reported to be associated with the postpartum mother-infant relationship. Seeing the fetus through ultrasound might influence MFA, and the effect could be increased by more realistic images, such as those generated in virtual reality (VR).
objectiveThe aim was to determine the effect of fetal images generated in VR on MFA and depressive symptoms through a prenatal-coaching mobile app.
methodsThis 2-arm parallel randomized controlled trial involved a total of 80 pregnant women. Eligible women were randomly assigned to either a mobile app-only group (n=40) or an app plus VR group (n=40). The VR group experienced their own baby's images generated in VR based on images obtained from fetal ultrasonography. The prenatal-coaching mobile app recommended health behavior for the pregnant women according to gestational age, provided feedback on entered data for maternal weight, blood pressure, and glucose levels, and included a private diary service for fetal ultrasound images. Both groups received the same app, but the VR group also viewed fetal images produced in VR; these images were stored in the app. All participants filled out questionnaires to assess MFA, depressive symptoms, and other basic medical information. The questionnaires were filled out again after the interventions.
resultsBasic demographic data were comparable between the 2 groups. Most of the assessments showed comparable results for the 2 groups, but the mean score to assess interaction with the fetus was significantly higher for the VR group than the control group (0.4 vs 0.1, P=.004). The proportion of participants with an increased score for this category after the intervention was significantly higher in the VR group than the control group (43% vs 13%, P=.005). The feedback questionnaire revealed that scores for the degree of perception of fetal appearance all increased after the intervention in the VR group.
conclusionsThe use of a mobile app with fetal images in VR significantly increased maternal interaction with the fetus.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04942197; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04942197.
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