Measuring body temperature every morning or subjecting oneself to unpleasant blood and urine tests: a daily routine for many women wishing to conceive. Despite all this, they can never be certain about their fertile days. The results are subject to fluctuations due to influences such as sports or disease. This creates a situation that puts a significant strain on many couples. Graz-based startup Carbomed developed ILO, a unique breath analyser aimed at changing this. This technology, which is completely new on the market, allows the user to determine her fertile days just on the basis of her breath. She simply has to breathe into a convenient mouthpiece for 60 seconds so that the analyser can measure CO² levels in her breath. Shortly afterwards, the result is shown in an app, without leaving any room for interpretation.

This high-quality analyser was developed in collaboration with the WILD Group. The latter contributed its know-how in product development, firmware and electronics design, managed the transition to serial production and has been manufacturing the ILO since early November. “WILD is the ideal partner for us, since the company combines both the necessary development and production expertise under one roof”, explain Carbomed co-founders Dr. Horst Rüther and Prof. Ludwig Wildt, Head of the Gynecology Department at the Innsbruck University Clinic.

Safe and user-friendly

Contrary to most conventional methods, ILO is not based on a forecast but precisely detects a woman’s menstruation cycle. Thanks to this live tracking system, which continuously improves its precision through an AI-based learning algorithm, the device also works with irregular cycles. “Therefore, we really stand out from the competition and we will hopefully support millions of couples worldwide in fulfilling their wish to have children”, says Managing Director Evi Jesacher.

Carbomed has already patented the ILO in Europe and in the USA. A total of four studies carried out so far demonstrate that the system works. On average, the breath analyser detects five of the six fertile days in each cycle. One of its most compelling USPs is its simple use. “No consumable materials or special know-how are required”. Moreover, users can choose the time of the day they want to perform the test”, Jesacher adds. The app, too, is very simple and self-explanatory. As a result, ILO is currently the simplest and most natural method of determining a woman’s fertility. For Carbomed, the next step will be to seek registration of ILO as a medical product. This would render the analyser also suitable for contraception.