Evidence & insight
The science behind Matresa
Support for a mother's health, home life and return to work, from pregnancy to two years after birth.
Matrescence
Understanding the transition to motherhood
Matrescence is the transition to motherhood. First named by anthropologist Dana Raphael in the 1970s, it changes a woman's body, brain, identity and daily life.
Health: Recovery, sleep, mental health
Home: Relationships, support, care
Work: Workload, flexibility, returning
Each part shapes the others. Matresa is built around all three.
What happens in the brain
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Grey matter
The folded outer cortex contains grey matter, including many nerve-cell bodies.
Illustrative cross-section, not a scan.
Nature Neuroscience · 2017
Lasting change
In first-time mothers, pregnancy was followed by reductions in grey matter volume in regions involved in social cognition, which the researchers interpret as adaptive. The changes were still present two years later and were associated with attachment to the baby (Hoekzema et al., 2017).
Nature Neuroscience · 2024
Week by week
One woman was scanned 26 times, from before conception to two years after birth. Her grey matter volume fell as pregnancy progressed, in step with rising oestrogen and progesterone (Pritschet et al., 2024).
Nature Communications · 2025
Mental health matters
Researchers followed 127 women through their first pregnancy, alongside comparison groups. Grey matter volume dipped in late pregnancy and partly recovered by six months after birth. Greater recovery was linked to stronger attachment, and a mother's wellbeing helped explain that link (Servin-Barthet et al., 2025).
Relative cortical grey matter volume
Beyond birth
Postpartum recovery does not have a one year cut off
of mothers are estimated to experience depression 13 to 24 months after birth. Nearly the same as the first year.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 32 studies, 57,210 women, 18 countries (Hellyer et al., 2025)
Our approach
How the evidence shapes Matresa
Check-ins over time
Depression can continue past the first year, or begin after it (Hellyer et al., 2025). Matresa's regular check-ins build a record she can take to her appointment.
Support between appointments
Across 31 randomised trials with 11,024 participants, digital health interventions reduced postpartum depression symptoms on average, compared with usual care (Lewkowitz et al., 2024).
The return to work
A review of 52 studies linked mothers' mental and physical health after returning to work with longer maternity leave and support from colleagues and managers (Franzoi et al., 2024). Matresa gives employers anonymised insight into where that support is needed.
Safety
Regulated and clinically governed
Matresa is a Class I medical device, registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) under the UK Medical Devices Regulations 2002.
Clinical safety is overseen by our Clinical Safety Officer, Dr Ameet Bakhai, with advisers across midwifery, perinatal psychology and infant mental health.
Clinical Advisory & Research Partners
Dr Ameet Bakhai
Clinical Safety Officer & Clinician
Liba Stones
Research & Evidence
Agne Raneberg
Clinical Psychologist (PhD) · Perinatal Mental Health
Lara Taylor
Specialist Midwife
Dawn Cannon
Director · Warwick Infant & Family Wellbeing Unit
The University of Warwick
Research Partner
In progress
Building the evidence
Antenatal Information Experiences and Needs
Get involved
Take part in our research
For companies, NHS and research bodies
Research collaboration
We welcome collaboration with companies, NHS organisations and research bodies on maternal health research. Get in touch to discuss working together.
References
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- Hoekzema E, Barba-Müller E, Pozzobon C, et al. (2017). Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in human brain structure. Nature Neuroscience, 20(2), 287-296. https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.4458
- Pritschet L, Taylor CM, Cossio D, et al. (2024). Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy. Nature Neuroscience, 27, 2253-2260. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01741-0
- Servin-Barthet C, Martínez-García M, Paternina-Die M, et al. (2025). Pregnancy entails a U-shaped trajectory in human brain structure linked to hormones and maternal attachment. Nature Communications, 16, 730. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-55830-0
- Hellyer E, Nash K, Jones E, et al. (2025). Postnatal depression beyond 12 months: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 34(2), e70018. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70018
- Lewkowitz AK, Whelan AR, Ayala NK, et al. (2024). The effect of digital health interventions on postpartum depression or anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 230(1), 12-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2023.06.028
- Franzoi IG, Sauta MD, De Luca A, Granieri A (2024). Returning to work after maternity leave: a systematic literature review. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 27(5), 737-749. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-024-01464-y