New fertility device - As successful as IVF?

26th October 2010 in Fertility, Infertility, News, Treatments

This information was correct at the time of publishing. It may not reflect our current practices, prices or regulations.

A new fertility device which charts ovulation has been launched by British scientists, with the claim that it’s comparable to IVF in terms of successful pregnancy.

The DuoFertility system, which costs almost £500, charts temperature changes in the body via a patch worn on the skin, and using this data can pinpoint the most fertile days of the menstrual cycle.

The makers of the system claim it has a pregnancy success rate of 19.5 per cent after being used for six months, and so confident are the researchers that they promise a money-back guarantee if you’ve not achieved pregnancy within a year.

But let’s put this into perspective. DuoFertility is not an alternative to IVF. So this system cannot help you if you’re not ovulating regularly, don’t have any viable eggs or are not releasing any eggs at all. It cannot help if your partner has a sperm disorder.

Where it can be useful is if you are simply unsure of when your fertile days are. It allows you to input specific information and factors relating to your menstrual cycle to help give accurate results, whereas regular ovulation prediction kits – although much cheaper – don’t go into as much personal detail.

Any ovulation kits – whether high-tech or not – that help you identify your fertile days can help increase your chances of pregnancy simply because you know when the best time is to have unprotected intercourse.

And sometimes, you may just need to keep trying for longer. It’s why infertility is only medically diagnosed when you’ve been having unprotected intercourse for two years or more, although most couples seek help after 12 months.

Last updated: 25th October 2010