Dive Brief:
- After Fitbit logged a woman's unusual heartbeats, her husband sought advice from an online forum seeking answers to what he thought was the device's erratic behavior, Headlines & Global News reports.
- But, a response by another woman solved the mystery: His wife could be pregnant. The respondent said her resting heart rate was affected by pregnancy and Fitbit's heart rate tracker detected it.
- The couple confirmed that his wife is indeed pregnant and the baby is due in October.
Dive Insight:
A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute, according to the American Heart Association. But it can increase another 10 to 15 beats per minute when a woman is pregnant. This occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy as metabolism changes cause the heart to work harder, according to the Women's and Children's Health Network.
Although the couple is undoubtedly praising Fitbit's heart rate tracking capabilities, several users are suing the company claiming the devices inaccurately monitor heart rates. According to CBS News, a class-action lawsuit was filed in California stating two Fitbit models - Charge HR and Surge - significantly underestimated heart rates during workouts. The company has denied the allegations.