The art of fertility is a tricky one to pinpoint and map out, even with the help of an OBGYN and medical care team. Understanding ovulation — the cycle in which women enter monthly to build a space for the possibility of a fertilized egg — and how your body changes to nurture and develop your growing baby’s body and mind, can be complicated on the best of days. Luckily for hopeful parents to be, a new fertility tracking app called the Inito fertility monitor just hit the market, and is changing the way soon-to-be-expecting moms test for and treat infertility issues. This easy to use, home-based testing system gives hopeful moms more control over their cycles, while collecting and storing essential information for their physician to review – this is key for creating a care plan tailored to the needs of the systems users.
According to its website, Inito promises customers its product:
- Identifies 6 fertile days in your cycle by measuring Estrogen & Luteinizing Hormone levels (3x more than ovulation kits)
- Accurate Progesterone detection confirms ovulation
- Customizes to your unique hormone levels so it can work with regular & irregular menstrual cycles
- Reminds you when to test based on individualized hormone variations
Let’s dive into what makes this product so revolutionary and how it’s changing how hopeful parents see and handle their infertility journey.
Part 1: The device
Inito is the brand-new ovulation tracking system that’s changing how women track their cycles and fertility timelines. This fertility monitoring and tracking system works in two parts, the first being the physical monitor. This monitor attaches to its users iPhone – compatible with iPhone series 7 and up — and clips into place. Users then insert a single-use test strip into the monitor’s handheld reader. Then the strip is inserted into the user’s collected urine sample. Once saturated, the strip end is inserted into the monitor and the results are read. Inito’s system then detects and evaluates the user’s levels of estrogen, progesterone, and luteinizing hormones. It then analyzes and uploads to the system’s monitor synced mobile app.
Part 2: The app
In addition to the physical monitoring system, Inito utilizes its own mobile app that collects, analyzes, and stores its user’s hormone levels, tracks data, and creates a customized experience based on each user’s individualized results. Inito’s app obtains its user’s calculated hormone levels, applies that information towards a specially curated plan for fertility, and stores these hormone levels and ranges for future use and analysis by its users’ physician or OBGYN.
Part 3: How it all works together
We’ve told you how the monitoring system works, and how the mobile app retrieves information from its paired monitor. But how do those two systems work together, and what exactly do they do for their users? For hopeful expecting parents, streamlining the process of fertility and ovulation couldn’t come at a better time. And Inito’s system couldn’t be easier to use. When asked how their system works, Inito states:
“Estrogen rises in your body 3-4 days before Ovulation. The rise of Estrogen causes LH surge which triggers Ovulation in 24-36 hours. Inito measures the levels of Estrogen & LH to predict up to 6 fertile days of your cycle. This is the time when you have the highest chances of conception. Inito also measures Progesterone in addition to LH and Estrogen. Progesterone rises after ovulation, and its elevated levels confirm that you have actually ovulated. Seeing your progesterone levels rise after LH surge can give you peace of mind or let you know that it may be time to chat with a fertility specialist.”
The results of these tests can help identify peak ovulation days, measure hormone levels as user’s bodies enter each phase of their cycle, and confirms ovulation via progesterone level monitoring – the first of its kind, ever. No other ovulation kit or system available on the market today detects progesterone levels in its user’s systems. This kind of testing normally requires pricey blood draws and doctor’s approval, which can slow down the process and miss critical testing days. These kinds of complications can further delay accurate diagnosing and treatment of infertility while causing additional and undo stress to an already stressful situation.
You may be wondering, “This system sounds great and all, but what’s it going to cost me?” Surprisingly, the Inito system is modestly priced when compared to similar testing systems. As we previously mentioned, there is currently no other fertility tracking system on the market right now that detects progesterone levels – the critical hormone that confirms ovulation – that costs approximately $50 per run. When comparing the price points between at-home ovulation kits and regular progesterone blood testing against the Inito system, the affordability speaks for itself:
- Clearblue Digital Ovulation Predictor Kit – contains 20 digital tests that detect a rise in luteinizing hormones only. This kit costs approximately $35 and must be purchased continuously each month. A 6-month supply of these tests in conjunction with a monthly progesterone blood test will cost hopeful parents around $510.00.
- First Response Ovulation Kits – contains 7 simple tests – plus one pregnancy test– that detects luteinizing hormones only as well and costs the same as it’s ClearBlue counterpart $35. A 6-month supply of these kits and progesterone testing will costs parents approximately $720.00
- Pregmate LH Surge Testing Kit – This more cost-effective option gives parents a 100 count of test strips for just $20ish dollars, however this kit does only test for luteinizing hormones. Much like its LH test strip counterparts, this system will require a monthly progesterone blood test, and will cost parents roughly $342.00.
When compared to other products on the ovulation testing market, Inito comes in at a cool $149.00 for the initial kit including the monitor clip, reader, and 15 test strips. Based on your cycle, hopeful moms may need more than 15 test strips per month, so for the sake of this piece, we will factor that into the final cost breakdown. When beginning the journey with Inito, parents will face a heftier initial cost when compared to other options, however the monthly cost more than evens that out. In a 6-month window, Inito customers can expect to spend $399.00 without leaving the comfort of their homes and requiring no blood testing or doctors’ appointments. While there is a cheaper option available, it cannot surpass Inito in convenience and inclusivity.