Abstract
Many couples planning a pregnancy have had to gauge the best time for sexual intercourse from subjective indications, e.g. cervical mucus changes, or retrospective information, e.g. temperature and calendar methods. Between women, and within a woman, there are considerable variations in menstrual cycle length and underlying hormonal patterns. Although fertility test kits are available, most still rely on visual interpretation by the user. A new combination of immunochemical testing and computing technology is now available in the ClearPlan Easy™ Fertility Monitor†. This paper describes the features of this accurate, simple-to-use, home-based fertility monitor, which gathers data on hormonal patterns and takes account of the individuality of menstrual cycles in women. These data and information about other events, such as sexual intercourse, can be stored in the monitor and accessed by the couple and their medical professional for retrospective review. The monitor is useful for couples who have just started trying to conceive, or those who have been planning a pregnancy for some time.