Ava is the better-sounding name of Europe's "first fertility tracking bracelet". A device designed to detect when the best days in a woman's cycle are to be pregnant simply by wearing them. The sensor bracelet is designed to help women who want to have children by analyzing their female cycle in real time and displaying the results on their own smartphone.

How does the bracelet work to get pregnant?

It measures heart rate, skin temperature, heart rate variability, sleep, respiratory rate, exercise, blood flow, bioimpedance, and heat loss, and based on all these data, determines if the relevant reproductive hormones, oestradiol and progesterone, increase – because they are critical to the possibility of pregnancy.

The bracelet only has to be worn at night and the next morning the Ava app on the smartphone displays the results – whether the wearer is fertile or not. According to a clinical study conducted by the University Hospital Zurich, 5.3 fertile days per cycle are reported with an accuracy of 89 percent. The Swiss medical technology company Ava promises less effort or more accuracy than with the temperature measurement method or other fertility measurement methods, such as ovulation tests and wants to facilitate the planning of the right time for sexual intercourse.

Does Ava work as a contraceptive?

Still, the bracelet for this purpose is probably a bit too unreliable. But the company plans to further refine the algorithm used to use the technology for pregnancy detection, pregnancy monitoring and as a non-hormonal contraceptive. Ava is available through the website avawomen.com and costs 249 euros