BOULDER, Colo, Oct. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MFB Fertility, Inc., a Boulder-based medical company created to empower women to know more about their reproductive health, today announced the launch of Proov™, the first-ever at-home progesterone ovulation test.
Proov test strips measure the presence of progesterone in urine. Progesterone is a hormone critical for ovulation, conception and pregnancy — and the only hormone that allows women to confirm that ovulation has occurred.
“For me, it was personal,” said Amy Beckley, MFB Fertility’s founder and CEO. “After years of struggling to conceive and multiple miscarriages, I decided to leverage my doctorate in pharmacology and expertise in hormone signaling to do something about it. I developed a method to test and track my own hormone levels and made it my mission to help other women take control of their own fertility.”
Designed to allow women to monitor progesterone during ovulation and pregnancy, Proov tests may be used to:
- Confirm ovulation.
- Help with trying to conceive.
- Monitor progesterone levels throughout pregnancy.
- Better track the menstrual cycle.
- Empower women to better understand their reproductive health.
The test works by measuring a urine metabolite of progesterone, called pregnanediol glucuronide, or PdG. Through PdG measurement, the test strips help confirm whether ovulation has occurred, as PdG levels in urine typically rise 24-36 hours after ovulation.
The process of ovulation involves four main hormones that change during the monthly menstrual cycle. First, follicle stimulating hormone, or FSH, signals the ovaries to start follicle growth. Then estrogen begins to rise to prepare the uterus for pregnancy. Once estrogen rises to a certain level, it causes luteinizing hormone, or LH, to surge, which can cause the follicle to rupture, releasing the egg (also known as ovulation). Finally, there is progesterone. Progesterone builds the uterine wall to prepare the uterus for embryo implantation. If no egg is released, progesterone will not rise; thus, the presence of this hormone helps confirm ovulation has occurred.
Research has shown that LH alone cannot be used to determine if ovulation has taken place. Therefore, measuring progesterone is essential for ovulation confirmation. Additionally, progesterone is essential for prepping the uterus to accept and maintain a pregnancy. While fertility monitors and ovulation predictor kits allow couples to track FSH, estrogen and LH levels from home, until Proov, there were no at-home, rapid-response tests available to measure progesterone.
About MFB Fertility, Inc.
MFB Fertility, Inc. developed Proov™, an at-home test that measures the presence of progesterone in urine, which helps a woman confirm that she has ovulated. Co-founded in Boulder, Colo. by two women who both struggled to conceive, MFB Fertility was created to empower women to know more about their menstrual cycles, progesterone levels and reproductive health. Don't just predict ovulation, Proov it! For more information, please visit https://proovtest.com/.
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