Study: Wearable ovulation bracelet tracks fertility through pulse rate

SAN FRANCISCO — A resting pulse rate can be used to identify the beginning of the fertile window in real time, revealed wearable manufacturer Ava on Wednesday, citing the publication of the first findings from its recent clinical trials.



The significance of these findings – which appear in the May 2 issue of Scientific Reports – is that In combination with temperature and other supporting parameters, the Ava bracelet detects the five most fertile days of a woman's cycle. Other currently available methods of fertility tracking such as LH ovulation strips can only identify the last 12 – 24 hours of fertility, and those reliant soley on basal body temperature recognize only the day after ovulation, when the fertile window is already over.



"What many women and their partners don't realize is that a woman can only get pregnant five days before ovulation and the day of ovulation itself," stated Prof.Brigitte Leeners, lead researcher from the University Hospital of Zurich. "In our research, we found that resting pulse rate usually is lowest during menstruation but rises significantly five days before ovulation and again after ovulation. Ava is the first technology that uses temperature, resting pulse rate and other parameters, including heart rate variability, sleep and bioimpedance, to provide a convenient and accurate at-home method to identify the beginning of the fertile window."



"We are committed to advancing the technology of women's health tracking and deepening  scientific understanding of the menstrual cycle through clinical research," added Peter Stein, Ava co-founder and VP research and development. "Ava is an innovative way to detect more fertile days, earlier within a woman's cycle, compared to other methods."



Ava's goal with the research was to find out whether it was possible to use wrist-worn wearable sensors to give women an accurate, convenient, at-home method of predicting ovulation. The clinical study concluded that temperature and resting pulse rate can be used along with several other parameters to precisely detect the fertile window.



In addition to announcing publication of the first results of its clinical trials related to pulse rate, Ava also announced it will be introducing a host of new features for its mobile app designed for Ava users who conceive, to be used during pregnancy. The new app experience – available June 1  – provides week-by-week, in-depth explanations of the changes that occur throughout pregnancy for mother and baby.



"With more than 50 confirmed pregnancies to date among Ava users, we wanted to add features enabling them to continue monitoring their sleep and physiological stress throughout pregnancy," commented Lea von Bidder, co-founder and CEO of Ava Science. "Ava's vision is to accompany women through all different life stages and this is a major step for us in reaching that vision. "