Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Trying to get pregnant? Clue and FitBit may be able to make that happen

clue fitbit pregnant screen shot 2016 07 05 at 2 32 25 pm
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Your FitBit may already be helping you get in shape, but now, it could also help you get pregnant. Thanks to a new internal pilot study conducted by Clue, a period-tracking and fertility app, wearables just may be the tool parents-in-waiting have been waiting for. By tracking the resting heart rates (RHRs) for four phases of the menstrual cycle by way of a device like the FitBit, Clue has effectively designed a way to employ wearables in couples’ efforts to conceive.

In conducting their study, researchers associated with Clue collected data on six women’s resting heart rates, ovulations, menstrual cycle lengths, and period durations for up to 12 menstrual cycles. Negative controls were implemented in the form of female participants on hormonal birth control and a male participant. According to Clue’s data, there was an observed rise in RHR following ovulation, and while this finding in and of itself isn’t anything new, the period tracking app notes that “the novelty is that this has never been done before with the help of a passive wearable sensor technology (available to consumers).”

Recommended Videos

Moreover, Clue notes, RHR was found to be significantly higher in both the ovulatory and luteal phase (the second part of the cycle) when compared to menstruation and the follicular phase (the first part of the cycle). This information could similarly be used to help women determine the most ideal times for conceiving a child.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

It’s certainly a brand new use case for wearables like the FitBit, and speaks to the variety of applications that such technology could be used in. Details of Clue’s findings in its FitBit experiment will be presented in full at the annual meeting of ESHRE (the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) by Dr. Vedrana Högqvist Tabor, Director of Scientific Research at Clue.

Already, the FitBit has helped at least one woman determine that she was pregnant — in a serendipitous turn of events, Dr. Tabor determined that Clue’s Director of Marketing, Lisa Kennelly, was pregnant after examining her FitBit data. 

So stay tuned, friends. You could soon be wearing the secret to pregnancy on your wrist.

iOS  Android

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Google is testing shortcut for the upcoming ‘AI Mode’ for search on mobile
Google search on Android app.

Google is ramping up efforts to make AI overviews more comprehensive and visible in search results. As it looks to evolve the overviews into more elaborate responses, the search giant might also include them in search results on mobile apps on Android and iOS.

Google is reportedly experimenting with a shortcut within its Android app for the expected "AI Mode," which is currently being tested internally. Android Authority reverse-engineered the WIP feature and discovered an AI mode shortcut that sits right under the search bar.

Read more
With this new Android 16 feature, you’re one click away from enhanced protection
Someone holding a phone showing the Android 16 logo on its screen.

Android 16 is set to offer improved security for apps and services. Android Authority says this feature allows users to enhance their device’s security with a single click, surpassing Google’s Advanced Protection Program introduced in 2017.

The current feature is available to anyone with a Google account. It is recommended for individuals at higher risk of attacks, such as political campaign staff, journalists, activists, and business leaders. The program implements security keys or passkeys for signing in, provides additional protection against harmful downloads, and safeguards personal information by restricting access to Google Account data. Additionally, it offers enhanced protection against phishing and unauthorized access.

Read more
X Premium+ tier gets an absurd price hike, thanks to Grok-3 AI
Details of X Premium+ subscription seen on a phone.

Less than a day after announcing the Grok-3 AI model, Elon Musk-led X has hiked the price of a subscription tier that opens the doors for xAI’s next-gen AI chatbot. Access to the new Grok-3 model is available for only X Premium+ subscribers, and folks who pay for the new SuperGrok standalone subscription.

As of the first week of February, the Premium+ tier started at $22 per month, or $299 for the annual plan. Following the Grok-3 launch, the monthly plan is now listed at $40, while the yearly plan will now cost $396 per account.

Read more