First Response Unveils Bluetooth Smart-Enabled Pregnancy Test

Church & Dwight, Co., Inc., the makers of First Response pregnancy and ovulation tests, have launched First Response Pregnancy PRO Digital Pregnancy Test & App Access—a Bluetooth Smart-enabled pregnancy test. First Response Pregnancy PRO connects to a woman's smart device through a mobile application. Once synced, the app provides her with pregnancy-related content only available with Pregnancy PRO, and delivers a personalized user experience throughout her entire pregnancy journey.

"We are thrilled to be unveiling the next generation of in-home pregnancy testing on a stage like CES, where so many technological advancements have made their debut," says Stacey Feldman, vice president of marketing at Church & Dwight. "With Pregnancy PRO, we've leveraged unique consumer insights to develop a product that not only revolutionizes the pregnancy test category, but more importantly, provides women with the information they need during their journey."

The Pregnancy PRO Digital Pregnancy Test & App Access is designed with technology developed by Church & Dwight and connectivity powered by Qualcomm Life, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, which makes 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies. The product provides a digital testing experience for women, aimed at helping to reduce stress throughout the testing process and the app offers an action plan based on the user's test result. With half (50 percent) of all smartphone users predicted to download mobile health apps by 2017, and two-thirds (64 percent) of pregnant women using their smartphones to access health information, the makers of First Response seek to meet this growing need with the innovative technology that Pregnancy PRO provides.

The Pregnancy PRO stick syncs securely to the First Response app on the users' mobile device via a small, low-power and disposable Bluetooth Smart module developed by Qualcomm Life. The user enters profile information which allows the app to customize content for the Pregnancy PRO experience. The app offers step-by-step assurance through the testing process, as well as a three-minute countdown to the result. During this three-minute wait, the user is offered a variety of options to help ease anxiety, including:

Calm Me: Relaxing visual content to ease her nerves and/or anxiety

Educate Me: Content that informs her on fertility and pregnancy

Entertain Me: Videos and content to help distract and entertain her 

After three minutes, the test result will appear on the test stick, and can be displayed on the mobile device after a secure code is entered. And like other First Response pregnancy tests, Pregnancy PRO Digital Pregnancy Test & App Access will be able to detect pregnancy as early as six days before the day of the missed period and with over 99 percent accuracy from the day of the expected period, according to company officials.

If the test result is negative, the Pregnancy PRO app will offer suggested next steps and informative resources, including cycle tracking and many helpful tips. If the test result is positive, the Pregnancy PRO app can provide an estimate of her due date (based on data input by the user), track pregnancy milestones, suggest questions to ask her doctor, send reminders for her prenatal appointments, and provide timely updates about the baby's growth (based on normal gestational development). As with any positive pregnancy test, women should see their healthcare professional to confirm their result, officials add.

In addition to displaying testing result and content, the Pregnancy PRO App Access can store the testing result based on a user's information to recall how many tests she has taken before and what the result was.

"Consumers today, more than ever, are living a truly connected life. Whether they are tracking personal health information with wearables or apps, managing their chronic disease with connected medical devices, or conducting DIY diagnostics in their home, consumers are beginning to demand digital tools and frictionless experiences when it comes to health care," said Rick Valencia, senior vice president and general manager at Qualcomm Life. "We're proud to work with Church & Dwight Co. Inc. to deliver this new evolution of connected pregnancy testing, and to continue the leadership First Response has already demonstrated in the pregnancy test category." 

First Response Pregnancy PRO Digital Pregnancy Test & App Access will be available at major retailers in 2016 at a suggested retail price of $14.99–$21.99. The First Response app is available for download on Android and iPhone devices and in the Amazon appstore.