I don’t know about you, but I’m so grateful that we live in a time when we have so much technology to help us in our fertility journey.
Think about it… we are the first generation whose family-building efforts have been assisted by apps, monitors, home test kits, and reliable medical information online.
Lately I’ve seen lot of ads and reviews for different fertility monitors. I wondered if they’re really worth the extra money. (After all, those trusty Wondfos and other basic ovulation test strips are pretty cheap). What makes them so special and what differentiates one from the other?
So I decided to do a comparison of five of the most popular fertility monitors and share them here with you. I hope you find it helpful if you’re interested using one.
Ovusense Real Time Fertility Monitor
The Ovusense overnight monitor is worn internally (yes, up there). It claims to provide a day’s notice of ovulation in real-time and a 4-day ovulation window with 99% accuracy. It syncs with your iPhone or Android and is recommended for women with PCOS. It requires a subscription (there are several different price points) and is approved for sale by the FDA* in the United States. If you want a detailed review, check out my friend Elisha’s hilarious (and informative) review.
Available on Ovusense’s website. Use discount code FERTILITY25% for 25% off. Also available on Amazon.
OvaCue Mobile Fertility Monitor
Ovacue consists of an internal sensor (yup, another one you put up there) AND an oral/saliva sensor that you use each day, within the recommended 2-hour testing window. It syncs up with an app you can use on your iOS device (or select Android devices) it and will store your cycle information for up to four months. It does not require any subscription fees or test strips, so it saves you money in the long-run and it’s better for the environment. It claims to predict ovulation up to 5-7 days in advance with 98% accuracy, and the manufacturers say it will work for women with irregular cycles and PCOS. An added benefit is that OvaCue specialists at FairHaven Health are available to help you make sense of your results and charts. How cool is that?! If you want to see more pics, check out the brief review I did in 2015.
Check out the video below for more information on how OvaCue works. You can also watch two video reviews (here and here).
ClearBlue Fertility Monitor
Unlike the other two monitors I’ve mentioned so far, the ClearBlue Fertility Monitor is a stand-alone model; it doesn’t sync with a mobile device. And for those of you who were turned off the by internal sensors of the other monitors, you’ll be happy to know the ClearBlue Fertility Monitor doesn’t require you to insert anything into your body! It reads urine test sticks (purchased separately) and detects both the LH and estrogen (it’s the only non-invasive monitor that does this) to help determine your 6-day fertile window. The touch-screen monitor stores up to 6 months of information and is appropriate for women with cycles of 21-42 days. It claims to be 99% accurate in predicting the LH surge (which is an indicator of ovulation).
Monitor and urine test sticks available on Amazon.
Ava Ovulation Tracking Bracelet
The Ava is definitely unique in that it’s a bracelet! If you’re someone who might have trouble remembering to test at a certain time and doesn’t want anything to do with pee sticks or internal sensors, the Ava might be an option for you. You wear it at night and sync it with your iPhone or Android in the morning. It claims to use your resting pulse rate, along with some other physiological indicators, to determine your 5-day fertile window with 89% accuracy. This FDA-registered* device also tracks your sleep and stress levels. The Ava is best for women with regular cycles between 24-35 days, and it has not been tested for women with PCOS.
Bracelet available on AvaWomen.
KNOWHEN Advanced Ovulation Kit
If the idea of spending over $100 on ovulation-tracking doesn’t sit well with you, the FDA-cleared* KNOWHEN Advanced Ovulation Kit might be a good “in-between” choice for you. At a price range of $50-$75, it claims to pinpoint your 5-day fertile window with 98.9% accuracy. It works by letting you look closer at a drop of saliva (almost like a microscope) first thing in the morning to determine your level of fertility. It’s perfect for your inner science-geek! No test strips or internal sensors required.
Available on KNOWHEN’s website and Amazon.
What do you think about these products? Have you used any of these fertility monitors? Please post your thoughts in the comments!
* Find out what FDA approved, approved for sale, and cleared means here.
If you’re looking for more encouragement during infertility, be sure to check out my book, 31 Days of Prayer During Infertility.
First image courtesy of iStockPhoto.
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3-4 weeks to ship on the ava?! That’s insane! I honestly don’t know how it can detect a fertile window based upon pulse, etc.
Yeah that was a crazy shipping time. BUT…. I wrote this post a few months ago and just went back now to look at their website to see if the ship time is still that long. They’ve updated their site to say that it now ships within 3-5 days. So that’s good!! (I updated my post to reflect that, too).
Their site says it uses pulse combined with skin temperature and heat loss and a few other factors. I think it would be interesting to use this in conjunction with cheapo ovulation sticks.