10 Tools I Recommend as a Fertility Doula When TTC

If you’re trying to conceive, you know that things can get overwhelming fast. Despite your best intentions to keep things casual and “see what happens,” you wind up scrolling through Reddit forums at 2am trying to decipher if the twinges your feeling at 10dpo mean you’re pregnant. It’s a slippery slope!

As a fertility doula, I’ve seen how easy it is to swing between doing nothing and doing absolutely everything. Most people do not need more chaos or more scrolling in their fertility journeys. Rather they need better information, practical tools, and a way to tap into their intuition, and truly understand what their body is already saying.

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Usually, I’m a pretty low tech, low needs person, but when I personally was trying to have a baby, these tools were incredibly helpful for me. Not only did they give me good data to time things right, they also helped reduce confusion, took away some of the guesswork, and really helped me learn my body’s own natural signs.

It doesn’t matter if you’re aiming to conceive naturally or open to assistive technology, the more information you have at your fingertips the better… that’s my opinion anyway. And not only that, the more you can prepare your body and support a healthy pregnancy ahead of time, the better the outcomes for a healthy baby!

As a note, these are all tools that I personally use and recommend to my own fertility doula clients.

1. Mira Fertility Tracker

Mira is one of the more advanced at-home fertility tracking tools available. It uses urine test wands that sync with a digital analyzer to measure hormones such as LH (luteinizing hormone), estrogen metabolites, progesterone metabolites, and in some versions FSH (follicle stimulating hormone).

Instead of simply telling you “high” or “peak,” Mira gives numerical hormone values and charts them over time. This can help you identify your fertile window, better predict ovulation, and confirm whether progesterone is rising after ovulation.

For people with irregular cycles, PCOS, long cycles, or confusing ovulation strip results, Mira can offer much more detailed insight than basic strips alone. It’s also helpful if you want to bring concrete data to a provider or fertility doula. I highly recommend the Ultra4 Kit which includes the analyzer and wands that test all 4 hormones. This will help give you a good foundation of what your cycle looks like.

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2. Premom Ovulation Strips & App

Premom is one of my favorite lower-cost options because it’s simple, accessible, and effective. These ovulation strips work by detecting luteinizing hormone (LH) in urine. LH typically rises 24 to 36 hours before ovulation, so testing daily around your fertile window can help you time intercourse more accurately.

The companion app allows you to scan your strips, compare line progression, and track cycle patterns month to month. This can be especially useful if you’re someone who stares at a strip wondering whether the line is darker or if your mind is playing tricks on you.

For many people, this is a great first step before investing in more expensive technology.

3. Proov Progesterone Test Strips

Many people focus entirely on ovulation, but it’s only one part of the overall picture. Proov strips are designed to measure PdG, a urine metabolite of progesterone, during the luteal phase and can confirm a progesterone rise after ovulation occurs.

The general process is testing several days after confirmed ovulation to see whether progesterone is staying elevated long enough to support implantation and early pregnancy. This can be helpful if you suspect low progesterone, short luteal phases, repeated spotting before your period, or recurrent early losses.

It’s not a replacement for lab work or medical care, but it can give useful information and help guide next steps with a provider.

4. Read Your Body App

Read Your Body is an excellent app for people who want to truly chart their cycle rather than rely on algorithm predictions. Instead of making assumptions for you, this app allows you to manually track detailed fertility signs and interpret patterns over time. This does require some additional knowledge on tracking and interpreting your bodies signs, all of which can be found in one of my book recommendations below, Taking Charge of Your Fertility.

In this app, you can log your basal body temperature, cervical mucus changes, cervix position, spotting, LH tests, symptoms, mood, supplements, and more. You can also customize other things you’d like to track like progesterone and other regular symptoms you might experience throughout your cycle. All of this data, makes it ideal for fertility awareness methods or for anyone trying to understand whether ovulation is actually occurring.

It gives you ownership of your data instead of handing your cycle over to an algorithm.

5. Femometer

Femometer is another cycle tracking system that pairs well with ovulation strips, and connected devices depending on which products you use. They have both a thermometer and a smart ring. I personally have never used the ring, but have used the thermometer.

Many people like it because it offers visual charting, temperature tracking, cycle data, and fertility predictions in one place. It can simplify the process for those who prefer more guidance and less manual input.

If you enjoy seeing trends laid out clearly and want one app to hold multiple pieces of information, it can be a helpful option.

6. Real Food for Fertility

The book Real Food for Fertility by Lily Nichols is one of my top recommendations for nutrition while TTC. It focuses on how nutrient-dense foods support hormones, egg quality, sperm health, thyroid function, blood sugar balance, and early pregnancy.

Rather than generic advice like “just eat healthy,” it explains specific nutrients such as choline, folate, iron, iodine, protein, healthy fats, and minerals that play a role in fertility.

It’s practical, evidence-informed, and helpful for people who want to support fertility through food without getting lost in wellness nonsense.

7. Taking Charge of Your Fertility

Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler is a classic fertility awareness book for a reason. It teaches you how to identify your fertile window using body literacy rather than guesswork.

You’ll learn how to track basal body temperature, observe cervical mucus patterns, understand cycle phases, confirm ovulation, and recognize common red flags like anovulation or short luteal phases.

For many people, this book is the first time they realize the menstrual cycle gives meaningful information every month. Better late than never, I suppose.

8. Bird & Be Prenatal

A high-quality prenatal is one of the most practical tools to start before pregnancy happens. Nutrient stores matter before conception, not just after a positive test.

Bird & Be prenatals are designed to provide foundational nutrients such as methylated folate, iron, choline, vitamin D, B vitamins, omega support depending on the formula, and minerals needed for reproductive health and fetal development. Pro tip: if you struggle with taking pills, their gummies are great!

Starting a prenatal while TTC helps build nutrient reserves and supports the earliest stages of pregnancy, often before someone even knows they’ve conceived.

9. OysterMax Supplement

OysterMax is often used as a mineral support supplement because oysters naturally contain zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, and other trace minerals important for hormone production and reproductive health.

Zinc in particular plays a role in ovulation, progesterone production, egg quality, and sperm health. Many people are more depleted in minerals than they realize, especially after stress, restrictive dieting, or long-term hormonal birth control use.

10. Pregmate Pee Cup

This may be the least glamorous item on the list, but one of the most practical. If you’re using ovulation strips, progesterone strips, or Mira wands regularly, having a dedicated cup makes the process cleaner and easier.

Instead of awkwardly trying to catch urine midstream onto a strip or using random disposable cups, you have a simple reusable tool ready to go.

Trying to have a baby can involve enough chaos already, so the small conveniences count!

Bonus: Supportive Herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs

For many people, gentle herbal support can be a nice addition during the childbearing years. Mountain Rose Herbs offers organic, high-quality loose herbs and blends that can be used intentionally depending on your needs. Herbs may be used to support stress response, cycle balance, nourishment, or overall wellness. Think nettle, red raspberry leaf, oatstraw, chamomile, or other supportive blends.

Nettle is often used for mineral support. Oatstraw can be nourishing and calming. Chamomile may support stress reduction. Red raspberry leaf is often used for uterine tone, though timing and use should be individualized.

Herbs are not a one-size-fits-all, but they can be a grounding and supportive part of the bigger picture. It’s wise to use them thoughtfully with guidance from an herbalist and to speak with your OBGYN or Midwife prior to using them.

You definitely do not need every tool on this list, and buying ten fertility products will not force your body into cooperation. Unfortunately for all of us trying to conceive, human biology remains stubbornly unimpressed by shopping.

Usually, the best path is choosing a few tools that help you understand your cycle, support your health, and reduce confusion. The goal is not obsession. The goal is clarity.

As a fertility doula, I often remind people that good information should help you feel steadier, not more anxious. Use what supports you, ignore what doesn’t, and ask for help when the process starts to feel heavier than it should.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, like trying to conceive has quietly taken over your life, or you just want help navigating your personal fertility journey, support from a fertility doula may be a good fit for you. We can help you create a grounded plan, understand your cycle, organize testing or next steps, navigate lifestyle changes, and provide emotional support through a process that can feel isolating. Reach out for support!