A real-time fertility monitor, using technology developed at the University of Bristol, has been launched to help women identify their ovulation window and increase the chances of pregnancy.

OvuSense is a sensor and fertility app which measures a woman’s core body temperature overnight and then produces a daily graph to identify when a woman is most fertile.

Unlike other fertility trackers, OvuSense, a Class 2 registered medical device, gives 24 hours’ advance notice of ovulation, along with a four-day ovulation window.

The technology was developed by Dr. Andy Butterworth and Professor Toby Knowles, from the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Bristol, and has since been licensed by the University to their spin-out company Fertility Focus, which was founded in 2006 with Bristol alumnus Michael James.

The sensor fits comfortably into a woman’s vagina, similar to a tampon, and is worn while she sleeps.

It takes a core body temperature reading every five minutes to build-up an accurate picture of the woman’s cycle, which is downloaded via the OvuSense app in the morning once the sensor has been removed.

OvuSense works even if there are medical conditions that impact hormone levels, and since OvuSense automatically finds when a user ovulates, in real time, there is no guessing when to start testing each month. 

The OvuSense app for iOS has been launched in the UK and US, with an Android version available at the end of August.