We spent some time on the phone in the weeks before CES with Eric Dy, CEO of Bloomlife, a new company with a wearable monitor that tracks uterine contractions during pregnancy. It’s an interesting product and approach, one that’s being unveiled at CES.
Contractions can be an important indicator of fetal health but are often subtle things and can be missed. There are existing monitors for women in high-risk pregnancies, but they’re expensive, uncomfortable, and inconvenient.
The Bloomlife monitor measures, counts and times contractions through electrical signals generated by the uterine muscle, and displays them in an app. It is much less expensive and easier to use but does not yet have FDA approval — so the execs are careful to not make medical claims. For the time being, they are pitching the device as a device that provides information that leaves diagnostic action to the wearer. In our conversation, CEO Dy acknowledged the limitations of that approach, and said the company will pursue FDA approval at some point in the future.
This is the sort of device that one only needs for a few weeks out of one’s life, so the company leases the device instead of selling it to you outright. The Bloomlife monitor costs $149 for one month, $249 for two months, and $299 for three months. Availability is expected in 1Q17.
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