The American Feminist

The American Feminist, Summer 1997

Fertility Test Seen as Breakthrough in Pregnancy Prevention

Unipath, a fertility test that allows a woman to track her hormonal cycle without taking temperatures and plotting charts, is being described as the biggest breakthrough in contraception since the development of contraceptives.

Unipath measures a woman's hormone levels each day and indicates whether she is at a fertile point in her cycle where the possibility of becoming pregnant is high.

Each morning a woman using the Unipath checks the color of the light on the monitor. Green means she is at an infertile period of her cycle. Red indicates she is at a fertile point and the probability of becoming pregnant is high.

The Family Planning Association is excited about the development of Unipath as a way for a woman to track her hormonal cycle, but warns that natural family planning does not offer protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Couples taking part in clinical trials in Britain, Ireland and Germany reported that the system actually improved their love lives.

"Contraception is not normally a topic of conversation between partners, but the system allows men to become more involved, making couples feel closer," says Scott Wotherspoon, the European manager for Unipath.