Today on the podcast, I’m reviewing the Mira Fertility Tracker. I’ve been DESPERATE to know and
understand when I’m ovulating, but I’ve been really picky about who I’ve partnered with.
One of the questions I had on Instagram was “Whaaa? You’re ovulating even though you have had a hysterectomy?” and the answer is Yup! I do.
If you head to my resource library, I’ve put together a great ebook that talks about what happens during our cycles – it’s SO important for us to understand this and I still can’t believe that we aren’t taught more of this in school. But essentially there are four hormones – LH and FSH – which come from our brain, and Estrogen and Progesterone which primarily come from our ovaries. I still have my ovaries and fallopian tubes, although I don’t have a uterus anymore nor most of my cervix…. And I still have a brain (ha!). So I still have my monthly cycle, even though there is no lining to shed at the end of each cycle.
When I was trying to conceive, I used two methods to track my ovulation:
Tracking my Basal Body Temperature
I tracked my BBT for about 7 months, and it was really time consuming. In order to do it properly, you’re supposed to do it while you’re lying in bed, as still as you can be, for about 10 minutes when you first wake up (without getting up), and even though I did that, I still never got the temperature spike that showed I was ovulating.
If you’re trying to conceive, it’s also important to note that your basal body temperature spike is only telling you AFTER you’ve ovulated, so you can’t use this as the signal to do the deed, you can only use it as confirmation that ovulation has occurred.
The problem for me though was that I never got that lovely graph that you’re supposed to have when tracking your BBT, and so aside from the time commitment, I wasn’t super keen to try that again.
Using Cheap LH Ovulation Strips
The other thing I used when we were trying to conceive (before we hit the fertility clinic) was some cheap ovulation strips that I got from eBay. What. A. Waste. Because of the short window of ovulation, I was using multiple strips per day (and probably not correctly) and never once. Not once. Had a positive confirmation of ovulation (even though I ovulated quite regularly).
So I’ll be completely honest with you – I’ve been looking into ovulation trackers for some time now and the bottom line was that I just wanted something that was convenient and accurate. Also, I wanted something that gave me a little bit more than a really short window to ovulation so I wanted something that went beyond just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in terms of whether I’ve ovulated or not. Enter the Mira Fertility Tracker.
To date, the only other partnership I’ve done has been with the Mira Fertility tracker to be honest, even though I’m approached multiple times per week from other organisations.
Since walking the path of infertility, I feel like I’ve become much more in tune with my body and the natural rhythms of my mood and energy across the month, so I had an idea of when I might be ovulating, but I truly wanted some confirmation.
How to use the Mira
So the first thing you need to do when your Mira Fertility tracker arrives is to charge it up. Then install the Mira app on your phone so that it can sync all the data. It’s pretty cool because it uses Bluetooth to sync everything and then you can see and compare your results, and it also has a graph you can see (and download if you want to send to your Naturopath or anything). Once it’s charged and you’ve got the app, you just connect your tracker and then you’re good to go.
When you want to test, you use your first morning wee (or otherwise one that is spaced more than 2 hours outside of any food) and then insert it into the machine. It will then start counting down from about 15 minutes, and beep when your result is ready, and then all going well, it should sync to your phone.
The tracker uses your LH levels to track ovulation – if you head to robynbirkin.com/library you’ll see I have a free library of downloads and one of them is a guide on fertility and infertility 101 – in there you’ll see exactly what happens with your hormones during your cycle, but essentially, about 36 hours before you ovulate, you’ll get a surge in luteinizing hormone (LH – a hormone that comes from your brain that tells your ovary to release a mature egg). The Mira tracks basically all levels of LH, not just the peak level of LH so you actually have a little bit of time before ovulation and it will tell you what the actual levels are.
The Mira Plus is also now out which additionally tracks your estrogen levels (which usually rise throughout your follicular phase). You can basically get a much fuller picture of what is going on in your cycle, AND… they’re about to release the progesterone tracking too, and that is one of the main reasons I’ve felt comfortable chatting about it, using it and recommending it to you. For peeps who have irregular cycles, more tracking and more data is always going to be a good thing, and it also means that you can test less.
How I used the Mira
So my Mira arrived mid-month and when I tested, my LH was low and looked like it was going down. As the tracker can give you a few days leading up to ovulation, I didn’t test every single day, but rather every second or third day.
I was convinced that I had actually missed my window of ovulation (I don’t know why – I thought I had ovulated around the 14th) Therefore, I waited a week or so before testing again. And then I started to feel tired, less motivated, more insular, so I did one or two more tests but was fairly certain that this would be my luteal phase and so didn’t test much.
Around the beginning of the next month, I began testing again and when I hit the 11th or so, I was like ‘yep, this is going to be it!’ and…. Nada. Honestly, I felt quite confused for a moment…. But I felt really energised and confident and so I took a step back and continued testing every second day and WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! Turns out I actually ovulated that next month on 22nd. It’s been really awesome to have that confirmation and to be able to look back over through the app to see.
Pro’s of the Mira
You can walk away while it syncs
I’d get the wand analysing, and then actually hop in the shower and start getting ready for the day and let it do its thing, which was really convenient. Far out – it was such a relief not to have to sit and look at lines to tell whether there was a line or not, and which one was darker.
It’s accurate
Like I’ve just written, not having to try and decide for myself whether or not it’s worked and analysing has been awesome. I like that it tests and tells you all levels of LH, not just a yes or no. It’s one of the most accurate on the market. And some monitors only show above a certain amount of LH, but for some people with a fairly low LH (possibly me?) it just won’t ever show a positive – and that’s just confusing, right?!
It has a graph and calendar on the app
I love that it has the app that it syncs to. I’ve seriously looked at it so many times and gone back over dates, and I also love that the app isn’t trying to do everything – it’s just a really clean and easy to navigate app.
You don’t need to buy a new tracker as new features come out
The tracker can sync and update itself, so as things like the estrogen wands (already out) and progesterone wands come out (one wand that tracks all three just to clarify), you don’t need to buy a whole new tracker – you just need to buy the compatible wands when you place your next order.
Cons/Tips
Remember to ensure your tracker is connected to your phone
One time I started to panic a little because I didn’t realise that my bluetooth was off, and I had walked away and it had said analyser disconnected and I freaked and there were a few times when I had to go and search on my bluetooth to try and get it to reconnect. Turns out that the tracker will still log that result and sync later, but from then on, I just always made sure it was connected before inserting the wand.
It costs more than my cheapo eBay strips
Look, you get what you pay for and I was paying for accuracy and convenience, and I was just done with guessing games and inaccurate trackers so I’m not even sure this is a con, but if you’re looking for the cheapest thing on the market and willing to sacrifice some time and accuracy, then the Mira probably won’t be for you.
You have to allow enough time for additional strips to arrive
#2020 – especially in Australia – everything by post takes a long time. If you are planning on making an order, I’d probably recommend that you get enough wands for a few cycles because into Australia, they can take up to a month, and that was certainly my experience too.
I’m so glad that I’ve had this opportunity to use the Mira Fertility tracker and get a better clue of what is going on in my body. I think that especially for anyone who has irregular cycles, that information can be invaluable. I know nothing else on the market as accurate as that (especially for tracking up to ovulation, rather than just confirming that ovulation has occurred…. Which is essentially useless information for those with irregular cycles who are trying to conceive).
Remember that I have a discount code: fertilitywarriors (don’t forget the plural!) and you can head here to learn more or grab your copy.
A note about the Mira and who it’s for (from their team):
Mira’s Fertility Starter Kit is an excellent tool for women to track their reproductive health and fertility. At this moment Mira is measuring two hormones in the same time (LH and estrogen). It particularly benefits those who are trying to conceive but is also helpful for those who are trying to avoid pregnancy. Mira combines the accuracy of lab tests with the convenience of testing at home and it’s especially useful for people with variable cycles, hormonal imbalances or PCOS because the device gives actual LH and E3g concentration. In contrast to OPK, Mira uses lab-graded technology which gives you your actual hormone levels, while OPK only does a “one line” vs “two lines” estimation.
This post was written as part of a partnership promotion with Mira and please be advised that the link shared is an affiliate link, which means that if you choose to purchase using this link, you will not pay any additional charges, but you will be supporting me and your family as I’ll receive a small commission.
Please also be advised though that whilst this was a promotion, all views are my own, honest reviews and opinions, and I am extremely cautious about who I enter partnerships with to ensure I only discuss products that I wholeheartedly believe in and support myself.
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