Fertility monitors are devices that many women thank for helping them conceive after years of trying. Many would claim they are more than worth what they paid for them. But that doesn’t mean that every monitor is perfect for every situation.
With monitors as basic as a thermometer to those that sync automatically with your phone and do all the tracking for you, it can be hard to know which one will be worth the purchase.
We’re moms too. We’ve been there. We know that when you’re trying to conceive, every cycle matters. That’s why we’ve spent many hours studying and comparing all the newest fertility monitors and comparing them to older, tried and true models to discover which are most likely to get accurate readings and help you conceive naturally.
We evaluated each monitor based on criteria such as cost, ease of use, longevity, accuracy, and company guarantee. We’ve read countless reviews of parents who’ve used these monitors successfully and have even tried some of them ourselves. Read our reviews to find the best fertility monitor for your situation, so you can get to the fun part of trying to conceive.
- Works efficiently
- Natural method of birth control
- No additional accessories needed
- Switch between Fahrenheit and Celcius
- 6-month battery time
- Well-explained instructions
- Monitors two hormones in a single run
- 99% accuracy
- Great for irregular periods
- Also tests for pregnancy
- Fast and reliable results
- Tracks 2 key fertility hormones
- Waterproof and flexible thermometer tip
- Celsius and Fahrenheit reading
- High accuracy to 0.01 degrees
- Easy to use
- Accessible app
- Gives holistic view of overall health
- Discreet and safe to use overnight
- 99% accuracy rate
- Predicts ovulation 24 hours in advance
Product Reviews
Here are our favorite fertility monitors on the market.
Lady-Comp Fertility Monitor
Best Digital Fertility Monitor
For our choice of the best digital fertility monitor, we selected the Lady Comp for its ease of use and accurate results.
It only requires 30 seconds of your time each day. When you wake up, simply use the attached thermometer to take your temperature. The Lady-Comp will then show if you’re fertile.
One of the reasons we love this product is that it’s natural to use and doesn’t require any additional purchases of test strips. After you’ve taken your temperature, you’ll see a green or red light. The former indicates your infertile period, whereas the red means you are fertile.
Lady-Comp is an all-natural birth control method, hence the red warning light for fertile days. However, it’s also a good choice for when you’re hoping to conceive.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Works efficiently.
- All-natural method of birth control.
- No need for additional accessories.
Cons
- Only tracks your temperature.
- The button is small and not easy to navigate.
- It’s quite expensive compared to many other devices.
Our Ratings
iFertracker Smart Fertility Tracker
Best Wearable Fertility Monitor
To tick the boxes of comfort and efficiency, we’ve chosen the iFertracker fertility monitor. If you feel most comfortable with keeping track of your BBT (basal body temperature), then this device is a good choice.
It consists of a small wearable sensor that connects to an app on your smartphone or tablet.
To get the most accurate results using your BBT, you have to track it consistently at the same time every day. The iFertracker will continuously record your temperature during sleep, giving you a more accurate reading.
Before you go to bed, attach the tracking device under your armpit and let it do its magic while you sleep. When you wake up, sync the results with the app and remove the sensor.
The app tracks all your ovulation cycles. However, users say it’s not the most intuitive app, and you may be better off linking your data to a different fertility tracking app.
The sensor also keeps track of your movements and physiological responses during sleep. This means you’ll be able to analyze your sleep quality, which can also affect your fertility (1).
Pros
- Easy to use and will do most of the work for you.
- Very accurate and efficient.
- Multi-purpose — tracks temperature and sleep quality.
- Comfortable to wear.
Cons
- Burns through batteries quickly.
- Can leave some sticky residue on the skin when removed.
- The app has room for improvement.
Our Ratings
Tempdrop Fertility Tracker
Easiest to Use Fertility Tracker
With the Tempdrop tracker, you’ll be able to better identify your fertile days by tracking the temperature changes you’ll encounter due to hormonal fluctuations.
Two ways to wear the Tempdrop make tracking your fertile days more comfortable. You can wear the device on the provided strap on your upper arm so the device rests in your armpit area. Or you can wear a high-fitting sports bra to bed and tuck the device without the wearable strap into your bra.
To use the device, you’ll need to download the app from an app store and create an account. Then hold the power button for five seconds to turn the unit on.
Wear the Tempdrop according to the instructions and go to sleep as you usually would. When you wake up in the morning, remove the unit and put it near your smartphone. Your data will sync with the app for viewing.
Pros
- It allows you to switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius.
- Includes well-explained instructions.
- It’s easy to use.
- Uses a standard watch battery that lasts up to six months.
Cons
- It can be challenging to hook the strap onto your arm without help.
- Not the most intuitive app.
Our Ratings
Mira Fertility Plus Tracking Monitor
Best for Irregular Cycles
Timing is everything when it comes to conceiving, and this tracker from Mira Fertility Plus will not disappoint.
Mira Fertility Plus is a hand-held monitor with a color screen.
This AI-powered monitor provides analysis of your cycle to help you pinpoint your exact ovulation dates. Even when your body decides to mix it all up, you’ll still have the upper hand as it provides exact hormone levels of estrogen and luteinizing hormone.
As you place the wand sensor in your urine, it will read and record the hormone levels. Results transmit automatically to the Mira app, which identifies the trend and relationship of hormones to each other. It also provides you with an analysis of your fertility period.
The app will monitor when your body switches on all phases of the ovulation cycle. This is particularly good for women with irregular cycles, as this sensor can still find a pattern.
That said, it’s essential to follow the instructions to understand exactly how the kit works and what to look for.
Pros
- Fairly easy to take readings.
- Monitors two hormones: estrogen and luteinizing hormone.
- 99% accurate.
- A good option for women with irregular periods.
Cons
- Can be complicated to understand, so be sure to read the instructions.
- Pricey device, and ongoing purchasing of wands adds up.
- Test wands are sometimes faulty, wasting time and money.
Our Ratings
Clearblue Touch Screen Fertility Monitor
Best Fertility Monitor for PCOS
Conceiving while affected by PCOS can be difficult, so you want something easy and fast to use. Clearblue is a well-known brand among women who are trying to conceive, and the company’s fertility monitor is well worth a try.
The monitor itself is very high-tech. It features a touch-screen monitor that showcases all your fertility data. On top of that, it stores data for up to six cycles, which you can share with your fertility doctor.
The device tracks the two most important fertility hormones present in your urine — LH and estrogen. Clearblue even states that its results are 97% accurate — almost the same as an ultrasound.
We know from personal experience that timing is everything. Luckily, this monitor will remind you when it’s time to test. This will give you the most reliable results of “peak,” “high,” and “low.”
However, to test, you have to buy test strips separately and dip them in your urine before inserting them into the monitor. This does add a bit of extra cost, but for a reliable test, I would say it’s well worth it. And with Clearblue, you don’t have to test every day of the month, so you only use approximately 10-12 strips per cycle.
However, the monitor first needs about one month to analyze and understand your patterns before producing accurate readings.
Pros
- Only uses approximately 10 test strips per month.
- Easy to use touch-screen device.
- Gives fast and reliable results.
- Well-suited for women with PCOS and irregular cycles.
Cons
- You have to buy separate test strips.
- Requires at least one month for reliable results.
Our Ratings
Easy@Home Digital Basal Thermometer
Best App and Monitor Combo
It is tedious to check, write down, and calculate your temperature every day. Fortunately, Easy@Home has made an app that will do most of the boring work for you.
Every day at the same time, when you first wake up, take your temperature with the thermometer. With clinical accuracy, it will read your temperature to one hundredth of a degree in less than 2 minutes. With a backlit screen, it’s even possible to see the reading in a dark room.
Manually enter the reading into the app, and it will generate a chart for you. You can see your temperature pattern to help you discover when you usually ovulate in your cycle.
This product has been around for years and is a great way to help you get pregnant more quickly. The app will help you see your fertile window, so you’ll know when it’s best to try to conceive.
Pros
- Waterproof and flexible thermometer tip is more durable.
- The thermometer recalls the last 30 temperature records, in case you forgot.
- High accuracy to 0.01 degrees.
- Takes less than two minutes for a temperature reading.
- You can switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
- Lit screen and soft beeps let you use this in a dark room when your partner is asleep.
Cons
- There is no Bluetooth pairing; you have to add your temps to the app manually.
- The screen only lights up for a few seconds, so you must be fast.
- The recall button is hard to use.
- The battery runs out quickly.
Our Ratings
Ava Fertility Tracker 2.0
Best Wearable Fertility Monitor
Another popular choice is the Ava Bracelet. It’s a soft bracelet you wear overnight that monitors your BBT, but it also tracks your sleep, physiological stress level, and resting heart rate. The company boasts that the bracelet gives women a holistic view of their overall health and fertile window.
Everything uploads to the app. It can track cycles between 24 and 35 days, but there haven’t been studies conducted to see how well it works for women with PCOS. This is definitely a smart device. If you want to wake up to a silent alarm, you can set an alarm on your app, and your Ava bracelet will vibrate to wake you.
This device comes with an app that is frequently updated and an online community. They also offer a membership package made to support you in your fertility journey. Ava Fertility Journey boasts 89% accuracy.
The Ava bracelet also tracks information throughout your pregnancy, giving you a good insight into what is going on in your body.
Pros
- Easy to use; just wear at least 4 hours overnight.
- Accessible app to do all the tracking for you.
- Money-back guarantee if you use the tracker regularly and do not get pregnant within 12 months (details).
Cons
- Complaints that the watch strap breaks easily.
- Lots of data but not enough analysis.
- On the pricey side.
Our Ratings
OvuSense Fertility Monitor
Best Vaginal Fertility Monitor
The OvuSense Fertility Monitor is discreet and can be worn overnight. Before you fall asleep, place the sensor into your vagina, and leave it there for the night. Throughout your sleep, it will measure your core body temperature every five minutes and record extremely accurate data.
There are no radio waves transmitted, so rest assured it’s completely safe to use. With data from two clinical trials, six peer-reviewed publications, and nearly 1.5 million cycles, OvuSense provides 99% accuracy for confirmed ovulation.
In the morning, remove and clean the sensor. Then download the data in the OvuSense app to see your data. OvuSense will give you information on your eight-day fertile window. Plus, it predicts ovulation up to 24 hours in advance so you can time conception during your cycle.
Many customers with PCOS rave about this product, claiming it helped them conceive after years of struggles.
Pros
- Discreet and safe to use overnight.
- 99% accurate.
- Predicts ovulation 24 hours in advance.
- Popular with women who have PCOS.
Cons
- It shouldn’t be worn when you’re bleeding or spotting, which might make tracking data difficult for people with short cycles.
- On top of the price of the device, you have to purchase an annual subscription.
Our Ratings
What Is a Fertility Monitor?
Fertility monitors are electronic devices that help boost fertility awareness throughout your menstrual cycle.
Depending on the type, they may monitor any changes occurring in the hormone levels in your urine. Some check your basal body temperature, the electrical resistance of vaginal fluids, or a combination of everything.
A fertility monitor will relieve you of some of the guesswork that comes with trying to conceive. It will detect the clues we would otherwise overlook or be unaware of, to optimize our chances of getting pregnant.
How Fertility Monitors Work
Most fertility monitors work by tracking two hormones — estrogen levels in the urine and luteinizing hormone (LH).
LH is a crucial hormone when it comes to fertility. It controls the functions of the ovaries (2). Just before ovulation, your LH levels will increase, stimulating the ovaries to release eggs.
Once your menstrual cycle begins, the fertility monitor will generally have you perform a test. This might include a urine sample, vaginal liquids, saliva, or your temperature. You will usually have to repeat this for 10 to 20 consecutive days, depending on the type of monitor and length of your cycle.
The monitor should then be able to work out which days are your “peak” days and when you’re “high” or “low.” Other types will show a red or green light, indicating when intercourse is optimal or not (3).
How Accurate Are Fertility Monitors?
When used correctly, most fertility monitors have an average accuracy of 97% — some as high as 99%.
That said, their accuracy depends highly on how you use them — it’s essential to follow the instructions to the letter. Test every day that the monitor asks you to. Additionally, if your monitor requires a urine sample or basal body temperature, do this the first time you urinate in the morning, and take your temperature before getting out of bed.
Besides using the fertility monitor, it’s also essential that you know what’s going on in your body.
What May Affect the Results?
The accuracy also depends on any interfering factors. These can include the following:
- Existing conditions: Such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome. These conditions may cause a “false” peak or premature peaks.
- Certain medications: These may include drugs containing HCG, menotropins, or danazol.
- Current or recent pregnancy: Pregnancy significantly affects your HCG levels, among other hormones.
Additionally, if you’re struggling with infertility, your doctor may be treating you with medicines containing clomiphene citrate, such as Clomid (4).
In this case, it’s recommended that you consult your physician about when you can begin to use a fertility monitor. These medicines will impact the results. Therefore, you should generally wait three days after taking the last dosage.
Different Types of Fertility Monitors
Like many other tools on the market, there are several types of fertility monitors. Some focus on hormones in the urine, vaginal fluids and saliva, basal temperature, or a combination.
Here are two examples:
- Digital fertility monitors: These are usually the easiest to use — a screen displays fast and readable results. They’re generally used to track hormones in the urine or resistance in the vaginal fluids and saliva.
- Wearable fertility monitors: Wearables usually track your basal body temperature and perhaps heart rate. These generally consist of a small device you place somewhere on your body, and it syncs with your phone.
Fertility Monitor FAQs
What is the Difference Between a Fertility Monitor and an Ovulation Test?
A fertility monitor typically provides a broader range of information about your fertility status over time, often tracking multiple fertility indicators like hormone levels and basal body temperature.
In contrast, an ovulation test specifically detects the surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) that occurs just before ovulation. Fertility monitors generally offer a more comprehensive overview, while ovulation tests give a specific short-term indication of fertility.
What is the Easiest Fertility Tracker to Use?
The easiest fertility tracker to use often depends on personal preference and comfort with technology.
Many find digital fertility monitors like Clearblue or apps like Clue or Glow user-friendly due to their straightforward interfaces and clear instructions. It’s best to consider features, reviews, and ease of data entry when choosing a tracker.
Can an Apple Watch Track Fertility?
While an Apple Watch itself does not track fertility, several apps compatible with the Apple Watch can help you keep track of your menstrual cycle and predict fertile windows.
These apps often require input of additional information and may sync with other health data from your watch.
What is an FDA Approved Fertility Tracking App?
An FDA-approved fertility tracking app has been reviewed by the FDA for its effectiveness and safety in fertility tracking.
One notable example is “Natural Cycles,” which is marketed as a form of digital contraception and is FDA-cleared. It uses temperature data and menstrual cycle information to predict fertile days.
How Many Days a Month Are You Fertile?
Typically, a woman is fertile for about five to seven days each month.
This includes the day of ovulation and the five to six days leading up to it, as sperm is known to survive in the female reproductive tract for nearly a week. The exact fertile window can vary from cycle to cycle and among individuals.
