Tech and TTC: Can fertility products help you get pregnant?

These days, tech can seemingly do everything, from helping you get your finances in order and maintain a healthy diet to tracking your steps and letting you know exactly when it’s going to rain. But can tech really help you get pregnant? Let’s take a closer look.

Trying to get pregnant apps and devices: tech to help when TTC

Dozens of devices and apps purport to help you get pregnant, most by predicting when you’re most fertile. But before you spend hundreds of dollars on new tech, it’s important to remember that it can take longer than you think to get pregnant. If you are under 35 and haven’t become pregnant after trying for 12 months, talk to a healthcare professional. If you are over 35, talk to your healthcare professional after trying for six months. If you are over 40, talk to your healthcare professional right away. That said, some products can help you increase your chances of getting pregnant sooner.

Clearblue® Fertility Monitor with Touch Screen

If you want to have a baby, the Clearblue® Fertility Monitor with Touch Screen is a stand-alone device that accurately tracks the levels of two key fertility hormones — estrogen and luteinizing hormone (LH) — to identify the days in each cycle when you are most likely to get pregnant. Having sex on these days gives you the greatest chance of conceiving.

How does it work?

Once you set up your Clearblue® Fertility Monitor per the instructions, it will tell you when you need to use a Test Stick to test your urine. The Monitor then reads the easy-to-use urine tests to accurately track your personal hormone levels, identifying all your High and Peak fertility days.¹ A touch screen indicates when you need to do urine tests and offers a calendar for you to track your period and record when you have sex. After inserting your Test Stick into the Monitor, the Monitor will read your individual hormone levels and show your personal fertility status as Low, High or Peak each day. Having sex during High and Peak Fertility maximizes your chances of pregnancy. It will even store up to six cycles of your tracked data for easy review and sharing with your healthcare professional.

How accurate is this test system?

The Clearblue® Fertility Monitor with Touch Screen is 99% accurate at detecting the LH surge and has been proven to increase the chances of getting pregnant by 82%.² Because it tracks two key fertility hormones, it helps you find more fertile days compared to LH-only ovulation tests, giving you more chances to get pregnant. It has also been clinically validated by ultrasound.³

More trying-to-conceive apps and products to help you get pregnant

Some TTC tech leans on data and algorithms to analyze fertility-awareness-based methods. Think of it as old-school meets new, as natural family planning has long been used as a way to try to improve the chances of conceiving. Here’s some of the tech available today.

Tech that helps you track your temperature

Some people like to track their basal body temperature (BBT) with hopes of better understanding where they are in their menstrual cycle. For many people, BBT (your temperature first thing in the morning, before any activity including getting out of bed) slightly rises by 0.5 to 1°F after ovulation.⁴ While you can use a basal thermometer that shows temperature in tenths of a degree to track your BBT, recent technology includes smart thermometers, or wearables such as a fabric armband you wear while sleeping, watches, rings, or devices you insert into your vagina. These tech-based BBT trackers typically connect to an app that analyzes your BBT in different ways.

It's important to note that tracking BBT alone will only tell you when ovulation has already happened.⁴ You are most fertile two to three days before your temperature increases.⁴ Also, many additional common factors can cause your body temperature to rise slightly.⁴

Tech that helps you track your cervical fluid

Your cervical mucus changes in quantity and consistency throughout your cycle.⁴ Before ovulation, you may notice more cervical mucus that looks thin and feels slippery.⁴ Fertility awareness includes regularly observing your cervical mucus as part of a natural family planning strategy. These days, you can buy a device you insert into your vagina that measures changes in your cervical mucus and then sends data to an app for analysis.

Remember, though, that many factors outside of cycle timing can affect the quantity and consistency of your cervical mucus. These may include hydration, illness and infections, as well as having sex, taking certain medications or using some types of feminine hygiene products.⁴

Tech that enables you to do fertility testing at home

These tests track hormone levels, such as estradiol, LH, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone and prolactin, and/or your ovarian reserve. Others can test sperm volume and concentration. Some allow you to test completely at home via a finger prick, saliva, wearable tracker or semen sample collection. Others require you to go to a lab (sometimes a specific lab) for a blood draw. You may be required to send in your sample so that the results can be read by a healthcare professional. Some tests sync results to an app that uses AI to analyze the results. These tests can be expensive (although your insurance may cover it), and some have age restrictions or aren’t available in every state.

Things to consider when using trying-to-conceive apps and technology

• What is the total cost to use it for one month? What about six months, a year, or more? Is there a monthly subscription fee?
• Will the technology work if you have irregular cycles? What about PCOS?
• Do you think you will be consistent when entering data? How much data does it require?
• Does the technology share your data? Are the privacy policies vague? 
• Does the technology work with a team of scientists, universities or other experts to ensure accuracy?
• Have any organizations or programs certified, accredited or approved it?
• Is it covered by your insurance? What about FSA or HSA reimbursement?
• Can you export data to a partner, family member or a healthcare professional?
• Are results read by a healthcare professional? And how do you receive the results?
• Are the results easy to understand and actionable?
• Is support available if you have questions?
• Is there a community of app users you can connect with?

When TTC, you also may want to consider apps that aren’t specific to fertility. Apps that track your period can help you know where you are in your cycle. Apps that help you track your exercise and eating can encourage a healthier lifestyle. And apps that promote mindful meditation aim to ease stress. Your healthcare professional can recommend the tools and products that might be best for you.

Related Articles

• What reproductive health products can I use my HSA for?
• The connection between hormone imbalance and infertility
• Trying-to-conceive tips: Top questions about sex and TTC