As someone who has been navigating the challenges of secondary infertility for over three years, I’ve tried just about everything to conceive. From supplements and medications to tracking every little sign my body might be giving me, it’s been an emotional rollercoaster. To complicate matters, I have endometriosis, Crohn’s disease, and hormonal imbalances that throw an extra wrench into the process. I’ve struggled with multiple early losses and a lot of unanswered questions.
Earlier this year, I learned about Inito for the first time. I am no stranger to fertility tracking devices (I’ve regularly used TempDrop and other devices in the past), but this one seemed different. I love data, and I loved that it tracked the actual metabolites in my urine for hormones to pinpoint my true fertile window.
This article is a little different than my typical breastfeeding articles. However, fertility and breastfeeding all fall under women’s health, and I hope that this might be helpful to anyone who might stumble upon it.
Why I Chose the Inito Fertility Monitor
For me, the choice to try Inito was driven by my unpredictable ovulation patterns. With my hormone levels and cycle all over the place, I needed something that could give me reliable, data-driven insights into when I was ovulating. Most tracking methods, like simple ovulation predictor kits (OPKs), weren’t cutting it. They often led to confusion and frustration, as they only measured luteinizing hormone (LH) and couldn’t account for the full picture of what my body was doing. I wasn’t even sure if I was truly ovulating at one point.
Inito stood out because it tracks not just LH, but estrogen, progesterone, and even the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This level of insight is invaluable for women like me, especially with conditions like endometriosis or hormonal imbalances. I was ready to try something that could give me more precise ovulation windows and help me maximize my chances of conception.
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My Experience Using Inito
The setup was surprisingly simple. Inito connects to an app on your phone and uses small urine test strips to measure your hormone levels. You connect the monitor to your phone and then place the urine test inside to analyze it. The monitor then gives you a clear indicator of your current fertility and pinpoints your most fertile days based on the real-time data it gathers. What’s great about it is that it doesn’t just tell you if you’re fertile, but when you’re likely to ovulate and how your hormone levels are progressing throughout the cycle.
One of the biggest advantages of using Inito is that it helped me confirm my erratic ovulation. I suspected that my ovulation wasn’t following a textbook pattern for a while, but having the data to back that up was both validating and helpful. The monitor not only confirmed my suspicions but also helped me better time our attempts at conception. I also love that I’ve been able to track the progress of interventions I’ve made to regulate my ovulation patterns, and I’ve seen this directly through my Inito results.
On the second month of using Inito, I actually got pregnant (two years after my last early pregnancy loss) —though, unfortunately, I did lose that pregnancy. That month it showed my fertile window was different from what I would have predicted. Even though it didn’t have the outcome I had hoped for, it still gave me hope. After nearly three years of trying and so many disappointments, Inito helped me realize that pregnancy was still possible for me.
Inito Positive Pregnancy Chart
Here is my chart from when I was pregnant. I did a test toward the end (I’ll talk about that more at the end), and you’ll see that my progesterone was all over the place. My LH did rise as well—LH and HCG are very similar, and sometimes Inito will recognize an HCG increase as LH. However, keep in mind that LH usually rises slightly right before your cycle starts. There was an initial increase, and then it started to drop, which coincided with my HCG blood tests dropping.
Using Inito Alongside TempDrop
To further enhance my tracking efforts, I combine Inito with TempDrop, which measures my basal body temperature (BBT). TempDrop is great for tracking the overall trend of my cycle and confirming ovulation after it happens, while Inito helps me identify my peak fertile windows ahead of time. I will usually transfer my temperatures over to Inito so I can compare it with my hormone levels. It’s interesting to see how my temperature usually rises with my progesterone increases.
TempDrop is especially helpful if you’re breastfeeding or have an irregular sleep schedule because it adjusts for fragmented sleep, making it an excellent tool for postpartum moms. This combo has given me the clearest picture of my fertility that I’ve ever had, something that OPKs or BBT alone never provided.
Tips for Using Inito Successfully
Here are a few tips based on my experience to help you get the most out of your Inito monitor:
- Be consistent with testing: Inito works best when you test your hormones at the same time each day, preferably first thing in the morning when your urine is concentrated.
- Start testing early in your cycle: Especially if you have erratic ovulation, start testing earlier than you think you might need to. This will ensure you don’t miss your fertile window. The more you use Inito, the more it gets to know your cycles
- Use a fertility-friendly lubricant: If your body isn’t producing enough cervical mucus (which can happen when you’re breastfeeding or dealing with hormone issues), this can be a game-changer. Preseed is a great option to consider.
- Keep track of all symptoms: While Inito gives you valuable data, combining that with tracking your physical symptoms (like cervical mucus and BBT with TempDrop) will give you a well-rounded view of your fertility. Inito makes it easy to track all your symptoms, medications you are taking, and even follicle sizes if you are having ultrasounds.
- Be patient: The first month may be an adjustment as you learn how your body’s hormones fluctuate. Give it time to build up a baseline.
Why Inito is Especially Helpful for Breastfeeding Moms
If you’re a breastfeeding mom trying to conceive, you know how tricky it can be to track your fertility. Lactation hormones can suppress ovulation or at least make it very unpredictable. This is where Inito really shines. By measuring multiple hormones, Inito can help pinpoint when your body might be getting ready to ovulate—even if you’re breastfeeding and dealing with irregular cycles.
I wouldn’t recommend using Inito until your first cycle (otherwise, you might be spending a lot of money on tests).
Additionally, using TempDrop alongside Inito is a fantastic combo for breastfeeding moms because TempDrop adjusts to irregular sleep patterns, which is ideal when you wake up frequently to nurse or care for your baby.
Warnings and What I Wish I Had Known
While I love Inito, there are a few things I wish I had known beforehand:
- It can get pricey: It’s essential to test consistently throughout your cycle to ensure you don’t miss ovulation. Because of this, you’ll go through tests pretty quickly. I usually probably 7-10 each cycle. Some people choose to test every day of their cycle, but I don’t personally recommend this. Regardless, you’re going to be spending around $50 per cycle on the testing strips.
- Watch for low progesterone: In my case, Inito helped me identify that my progesterone levels weren’t rising as they should, which may have contributed to my miscarriages. Keep an eye on these hormone trends and share them with your healthcare provider if you notice anything unusual.
- Patience is key: As with any fertility tracker, you may not get the results you want immediately. It took me two months of using Inito to conceive, but even if it takes longer, the data you’re gathering will still be helpful for your journey.
- Avoid Overtesting: This is just a warning for myself. I don’t usually test past confirmed ovulation, but when I found out I was pregnant, I couldn’t resist. This threw me one an emotional rollercoaster that I could have done without. I was constantly analyzing the swings up and down in my hormones, and honestly, maybe the stress contributed to what happened. Inito is NOT designed to confirm pregnancy or determine the success of the pregnancy, and it’s a lot to try and analyze that on your own.
Final Thoughts: Why I Recommend Inito
If you’ve been struggling to conceive, especially if you’re dealing with erratic ovulation like me, I highly recommend giving Inito a try. After years of uncertainty and frustration, it gave me the clarity and hope I needed. For breastfeeding moms, Inito offers an excellent way to navigate the hormonal chaos that can make conception impossible. And if you pair it with TempDrop, you’ll have an even clearer picture of your fertility, helping you maximize your chances.
Inito helped me finally feel like I had control over something that has felt uncontrollable for so long. While my journey continues, I’m grateful for the insights it’s given me and the hope it’s restored.
