Would you trust a BREATH test to help you get pregnant? Revolutionary new device uses your CO2 levels to track ovulation in 60 seconds - and one woman claims it helped her conceive in just three months after struggling for two years

Breathe ilo uses a breath test to track when a woman is in most fertile stage
Doesn't require women to urinate on stick or measure temperature to track cycle
Instead users breathe on device for 1 minute per day; an app then logs the data
Launches in the UK on September 16 and costs £259 to buy, or £29.90 per month

Published: 00:00 BST, 16 September 2020 | Updated: 00:00 BST, 16 September 2020

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An innovative new breath test claims to help women struggling to conceive get pregnant by analysing their CO2 levels to detect ovulation patterns.

The clever handheld device called breathe ilo, which launches in the UK on September 16 and costs £259 to buy or £29.90 per month to rent, is being tipped as a world first.

It could mean women no longer need to track their cycles by urinating on a stick or measuring their temperature early in the morning.

Breathe ilo requires users to breathe onto the device for one minute per day, and the results are available in just 60 seconds.

An innovative new breath test called breathe ilo claims to help women struggling to conceive get pregnant by analysing their CO2 levels to detect ovulation patterns

Through consistent daily use, the breath analysis tracker's self-learning algorithm uses real-time ovulation and historic symptom data to improve the accuracy of a woman's fertility forecast with each cycle.

With studies showing women are almost 40 per cent more likely to get pregnant when intercourse is timed to match their fertile window, yet just 12.7 per cent of women correctly estimate their ovulation day, it's set to be a gamechanger in the field of fertility.

And it's already helped one woman conceive in just three months, after two years of trying.

Breathe ilo works by measuring the CO2 levels in a woman's breath, which alter according to hormonal changes that naturally occur during the female menstrual cycle.

Breathe ilo requires users to breathe onto the device for one minute per day, and the results are available in just 60 seconds. And it's already helped school teacher Pia Haas, 32, pictured, conceive in just three months, after two years of trying (pictured with son Felix)

The device then transmits the data to its smartphone app, compatible with iOS and Android, which determines when the woman is in her peak ovulation period.

The app features a calendar that displays a clear overview of fertile days and a cycle diary to learn more about individual cycle patterns.

Users can also document further cycle symptoms such as breast tenderness, pre-menstrual syndrome, cervical mucus or headaches to help prepare themselves for their next cycle.

Of the 2,000 women who used breathe ilo between August 2019 and January 2020, one in three claim to have fallen pregnant in just three months - one of whom is school teacher Pia Haas, 32.

After two years of trying unsuccessfully for a baby, Pia agreed to test out the device; three months later, she was stunned to discover she was expecting - making her the first woman to give birth to a baby after using the tech.

After two years of trying for a baby, Pia agreed to test out the device; three months later, she was stunned to discover she was expecting - making her the first woman to give birth to a baby after using the tech. Pictured with baby Felix, now 10 months

Pia, whose son Felix is now 10 months, said of her experience using the breathe ilo: 'My biggest wish came true. I think it is the easiest way of tracking your fertile days.

'It was less stress than peeing on sticks or measuring temperature. We are planning to use breathe ilo again in the near future to get a sibling for Felix.'

Breathe ilo was the brainchild of gynaecologist Professor Dr. Ludwig Wildt and Dr. Horst Rüther, who came up with the idea after he and his wife struggled to conceive his son Bastian, who is now managing director of the company.

Co-founder Dr Horst Rüther's son Bastian (pictured) is now managing director of breathe ilo

Following a £4.4million funding round, breathe ilo successfully launched in Austria and Germany in May 2019.

The fem-tech start-up, which has an employee base made up of a 60 per cent female workforce, has experienced a 15 per cent growth month-on-month since its inception - which conflicts with reports predicting declines in fertility rates across the UK and beyond.

Bastian said: 'We are excited to launch into the UK, which is known for its innovative and world-leading fertility sector.

'We are helping to bring the sector into the 21st century with our world first product breathe ilo which makes fertility tracking as simple as breathing.

'As a company, we have a wider ambition to create a comfortable space where women can speak freely about trying to conceive and their menstrual cycles, along with all that is in between.'

Lisa Krapinger, a spokesperson for breathe ilo, added: 'We believe that fertility and cycle tracking should not be a tiresome task.

'We have a wider ambition to create a comfortable space where women can speak freely about trying to conceive and their menstrual cycles, along with all that is in between. With 640,370 women in England and Wales giving birth in 2019, we hope to make it easier and less stressful for those trying to conceive moving forward.'

For more information visit https://www.breatheilo.com/en/