A life-threatening, surprise pregnancy inspired a North Jersey woman to find a better way for women to know when they are entering their most fertile period each month.
In 1999, Paramus, Bergen County resident Helen Denise survived an unplanned, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, NJ.com reports.
That frightening experience was the beginning of the production of Knowhen, a daily ovulation self-testing product that will soon be on retail shelves.
To use it, a woman, first thing in the morning, dabs a small saliva specimen on the device, which is similar in size to a lipstick case. After it dries, she then uses a viewfinder that is actually a mini-microscope to see if the specimen has the characteristic fern-like pattern. If it does, this would signal the time when her fertility is at its peak.
There's more to the product. Buyers can log in to an application that will track their cycles, so they can become more familiar with their bodies with little effort. It also has an educational CD.
Knowhen is produced by HiLin Life Products, a company based at the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Enterprise Development Center in Newark.
The device is sold online and will be available at CVS pharmacies in the spring.
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