Researchers have developed an AI-powered wearable skin patch that could help uncover hidden hormonal disruptions linked to unexplained infertility. The technology continuously monitors reproductive hormone patterns over several days and may offer a more accurate picture of fertility than traditional single-point blood tests.
The findings were presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology 2025 and focus on a growing challenge in reproductive medicine: patients who appear hormonally normal in standard clinical tests but still struggle to conceive.
According to the researchers, conventional fertility assessments often fail to capture how reproductive hormones fluctuate throughout the day and across the menstrual cycle. The new technology aims to address that gap by analyzing hormone rhythms continuously rather than relying on isolated laboratory measurements.
Standard fertility tests
Unexplained infertility affects an estimated 15 to 30 percent of couples and is diagnosed when routine fertility testing shows no obvious cause. Current assessments typically measure hormone levels at a single moment in time. For men, this often involves a morning testosterone test, while women are evaluated using menstrual cycle tracking and hormone measurements such as luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol and progesterone.
However, reproductive hormones naturally follow circadian and biological rhythms. Their timing and coordination may be just as important as the hormone levels themselves. Research led by Tinatin Kutchukhidze from University of Oxford and New Anglia University examined whether these rhythmic fluctuations could reveal previously undetected endocrine dysfunction.
Disrupted hormone rhythms
In one of the studies, researchers monitored 102 men aged between 22 and 38 from Georgia and the United States who had normal testosterone levels according to standard laboratory tests. Some participants nevertheless experienced infertility or symptoms associated with low testosterone.
Using an AI-enabled wearable patch, the research team measured testosterone levels every 15 minutes over a four-day period. The data revealed that men with symptoms showed significantly disrupted hormonal rhythms despite having clinically normal testosterone levels. The disrupted hormone patterns were also associated with lower sperm concentration and signs of androgen deficiency.
According to Dr. Kutchukhidze, the study challenges the assumption that normal morning testosterone levels are sufficient to rule out clinically significant hormonal dysfunction. The wearable system, compatible with Android and iPhone devices, enabled continuous non-invasive monitoring of hormonal changes in real time.
AI-based metric
In a separate study, the researchers developed an AI-based metric called Endocrine Rhythm Integrity (ERI). The system analyzed reproductive hormone patterns, basal body temperature, heart rate and sleep data from 312 women aged 18 to 22 with self-reported regular menstrual cycles. Some participants were fertile, while others experienced unexplained infertility.
The researchers found that women with unexplained infertility consistently showed lower ERI scores, even when hormone levels appeared normal in conventional testing. Lower scores were also linked to a higher risk of implantation failure.
Rather than evaluating hormones as isolated measurements, ERI examines whether hormones change at the correct time, in the proper sequence and in relation to one another throughout the menstrual cycle. According to the researchers, this rhythm-based approach identified subtle reproductive dysfunction more effectively than traditional diagnostics.
Personalized fertility care
The research team plans to expand testing in larger and more diverse patient populations to determine whether the technology can reliably predict fertility outcomes across different reproductive conditions.
The researchers believe the technology could eventually support a shift toward predictive, rhythm-based reproductive medicine, allowing clinicians to identify endocrine dysfunction earlier and personalize interventions before infertility becomes clinically apparent.
Beyond fertility care, the researchers also see potential applications in transgender medicine, where hormone therapy is currently monitored primarily through intermittent blood tests. Continuous hormonal monitoring could provide more precise insight into real-time endocrine dynamics and support more individualized treatment strategies.
Allergy patch
Earlier this year researchers developed a wearable biosensor patch that may detect allergic reactions before symptoms appear. The device, called AllergE, uses tiny painless microneedles to measure immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels beneath the skin. IgE is the antibody responsible for triggering allergic responses. Inside the microneedles, DNA-based aptamers act as molecular detectors that generate electrical signals when IgE is present.
The patch continuously monitors immune activity and could eventually connect to smartphones for remote monitoring at home. In laboratory testing, the system demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity, detecting extremely low IgE concentrations while distinguishing them from similar proteins. According to the researchers, the technology could help patients identify rising allergy risks earlier and potentially prevent severe reactions such as anaphylaxis.
