Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Fertility Awareness Products

On first learning about NFP, some might complain that it takes work, and there is a risk of being inaccurate. Isn't there an app or some sort of wrist-band you can strap on that just tells you if you are fertile or not? Isn't there some sort of easier way? Well technology is enhancing all areas of our lives, why not fertility awareness?

A couple of interesting products I have come across, but have not bought or tested, so this is no endorsement, but I simply wanted to point them out as worthy of notice.

1) OV-Watch Fertility Predictor
Website: http://www.ovwatch.com/

To quote the vendors: "OV-Watch is a clinically proven, patented fertility predictor that helps women determine their most fertile time of month. It is a wrist-mounted, bio-sensing medical device that tracks a woman’s individual body chemistry to find the 4 crucial days before ovulation."


Yes, it is like a digital watch you wear at night while you are sleeping. It monitors the chloride ions, which surge in the days preceding ovulation due to hormonal changes. 


Pros: Can help you conceive! Seems like it is easy to use! 

Cons: Costs well over $100, and has to be refilled with monthly sensors that cost about $40 a month. Cheaper if bought in bulk.


**Warning: The makers of OV-Watch state, "OV-Watch® is not intended for contraception and should not be used by women who are monitoring their cycles for the purpose of avoiding pregnancy." ***



2) Fertility Microscopes:

Ovuscope

http://www.ovuscope.com/Home.html

And also there are various similar products on Amazon.com.


This is basically a fancy magnifying glass or mini-microscope. It is based on the premise that a woman's saliva crystallizes and forms fern-like patterns, only around the time of the month she is most fertile, with maximum "ferning" occurring when she ovulates. This is again due to the surge in chloride ions due to rising estrogen levels. Other times of the month the saliva just dries up in irregular forms with no noticeable patterns. 


If you work in a place with access to microscopes, there is no need to purchase this product. I tested the concept by spitting on a slide at the time of the month when I predicted that I was ovulating and checked to see the pattern. I got the following images I took through my iPhone. I learned the technique of holding the iPhone camera up to the eyepiece from my students who were too lazy to draw what they saw under the microscope. I have to saw, the image quality is pretty good!




3) Kindara - Fertility Tracker App for iPhone
This product I have been using for several months now, and switched from the free to the pay version about a month ago, although I haven't noticed many differences in the upgrade. (Which is a good thing for those using the free version!)

This app is both sophisticated and user-friendly. You can use up to three different indicators to track fertility (BBT, mucus, and cervical checks). You can also add in your own additional customizable data. You can input as little or as much information as you want. It predicts your fertile window and your next period start date. It is easy to use if you are new to Natural Family Planning. However, I wouldn't use this app in place of doing your research and reading the literature on NFP and taking a class with a trained instructor.


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Comments:
Question for you - with regards to #2, did you also try spitting at other times? I sense a followup post . . .
 
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