A new Artificial Intelligence (AI) model developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras can help determine the age of a foetus of a pregnant woman in the second and third trimesters precisely.

The technology has been developed in collaboration with the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, as part of Interdisciplinary Group for Advanced Research on Birth Outcomes – DBT India Initiative (GARBH-Ini) programme, stated a press release by IIT Madras.

Accurate Gestational Age (GA) is necessary for the appropriate care of pregnant women and for determining precise delivery dates. Called Garbhini-GA2, this is the first late-trimester GA estimation model to be developed and validated using Indian population data, added the release.

This is the first indo-specific GA model and can accurately estimate the age of a foetus for the Indian population, reducing error by almost three times.

This GA model can improve the care delivered by obstetricians and neonatologists, thus, reducing maternal and infant mortality rates in India, the release added.

Welcoming this research, Dr Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, said, “GARBH-Ini is a flagship programme of DBT, and the development of these population-specific models for estimating gestational age is a commendable outcome. These models are being validated across the country.”