With so many wearables on the market to track everything from health to sleep, it was only a matter of time before we saw something like YONO, the first in-ear wearable made just for tracking your fertility. Pop the tiny, silicone encased thermometer in your ear and it records your basal body temperature, evidently to provide the most accurate info about your ovulation cycles.
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I’d imagine it works similarly to in-ear thermometers, which can provide more accurate readings than those you pop under an armpit. Also, because it’s tracking at night, it should be more precise than basal thermometers that get a reading once you’re already awake.
Those of you concerned with Bluetooth emissions (though I admit I’m not one of them), the device doesn’t transmit data while you sleep, but rather syncs with your phone each morning when you take it off.
That means that each morning, the YONO app will be automatically updated with a complete picture of your ovulation calendar and give you the likelihood of conception on any given date. Which, wow. If you’ve ever gone through fertility tracking and creating your own BBT chart, you know what a huge benefit the auto-tracking is alone.
This could be seriously revolutionary for a ton of women, when it comes to family planning.
I’m not at all surprising that the product was conceived of (no pun intended) by Vanessa Xi, a woman who had gone through fertility issues herself and decided to create a better solution than other trackers. It really does seem to have a woman’s touch to it. And I don’t just mean because the app is pink.
The campaign just launched and is already doing quite well on Kickstarter, which is a great sign for those of you who want one. On the other hand, the campaign runs through September 17, with a slated ship date in December; so if you are trying to start a family before this winter, you’ll just have to keep trying with other, less impressively high-tech methods.
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Here’s one important thing to note before you pledge: Like a breast pump, which has a limited usage time for you, you can either lease or buy a pair. Purchasing it right out costs $99 now ($50 off the full price), or $60 for a four-month lease which will normally be $20 a month. I think that’s pretty smart. However what I don’t totally understand is that on the Kickstarter page, there seem to be lots of incentives to “share your story” with them, for either a partial rebate on the lease price, or the ability to “transfer the registered name to a friend” who will then get a new pair.
I’m sure it’s for the company’s proof of concept and to gain user testimonials, but I don’t know if I entirely understand the need to register my name with them, let alone share a story of something that is very personal for a lot of people. So just consider that before you grab a pair, or get a little clarification about their privacy policies.
Even if we are living in a “put your weekly sonogram pictures on Instagram” kind of world.
Visit the Kickstarter page for the YONO wearable fertility tracker for more info, or check out the Yono Labs page. Each set of earbuds in your choice of three colors comes with the charging station, cord, and companion app.
