Know your fertile
window, naturally.

Yes. While the average cycle is about 28 days, a normal cycle can range from roughly 19 to 45 days or longer, and the day of ovulation can shift month to month. Maybe Baby reads what's happening in your body now, rather than relying on a calendar estimate.

In the morning or during the day, ideally within the first few hours after waking. Test before brushing your teeth, eating, drinking, or smoking, as these can temporarily affect your saliva.

Usually it's a technique issue: the saliva didn't dry completely, too much saliva was applied so it didn't crystallize fully, or the lens was pressed or tilted so the sample spread out of view. Letting a thin sample dry fully on a level surface gives the clearest reading.

Wipe the slide surface (where saliva is applied) with a soft, lint-free cloth. Don't use water, detergents, or chemicals on the optical lens, as they can damage it. Then close the cap and store it until next use.

Yes, that's the point. It's a one-time purchase with no strips, refills, or subscriptions. With basic care, the same device lasts for years.

As you approach ovulation, rising estrogen increases the amount of salt in your saliva. When a drop of saliva dries, that salt crystallizes into patterns. Low-fertility days show a dotted structure, and as estrogen rises the pattern shifts toward fern-like lines. Maybe Baby is a small lens that lets you see these patterns for yourself at home.

It can. Brushing right before a test can change the pH of your saliva and make the pattern harder to read. For the clearest result, test before brushing, eating, drinking, or smoking, ideally within the first few hours after waking.

An infection can change your saliva and shift the pattern you see, so a reading taken while you're unwell may not reflect where you are in your cycle. If you've been testing regularly, it's best to treat readings during an illness as unreliable and resume once you've recovered.

No. Maybe Baby is a non-invasive method that uses only a drop of your own saliva. There are no chemicals involved and nothing is applied to your body.

Most cycles have a fertile window of roughly seven days around ovulation. You'll typically see the pattern move from dotted, to a mix of dots and fern lines as your fertile days begin, to a fuller fern pattern around ovulation, then back to dotted afterward. Testing daily helps you recognize your own pattern over time.

Conception is possible during your fertile window, the days around ovulation. An egg can be fertilized for roughly a day or two after it's released, and sperm can survive for several days beforehand, so the fertile window spans a few days before ovulation through a day or two after. Knowing where you are in that window is the idea behind tracking your cycle.

One of the most helpful things you can do when planning a pregnancy is understand which days of your cycle you're most fertile. Because the day of ovulation can shift from month to month, a calendar estimate alone often isn't enough. Using Maybe Baby to observe your cycle helps you get to know your own fertile window so you can plan with better information.

Some cycles happen without ovulation, and in those cycles you may not see a full fern pattern. This can be completely normal from time to time. If you regularly don't see a fern pattern across several cycles, it's worth talking with your healthcare provider, who can help look into the cause.

Maybe Baby is a fertility-awareness tool to help you observe your cycle and identify your fertile window when planning for pregnancy. It does not diagnose medical conditions or confirm pregnancy. If you have questions about your fertility or reproductive health, talk with your healthcare provider.