At CES 2025, Eli Health introduced the Hormometer, an at-home saliva testing device that offers real-time hormonal insights. The device provides individuals with immediate access to key hormone levels, starting with cortisol and progesterone, with plans to expand to testosterone and estradiol in the future.
The Hormometer device utilizes saliva samples and a smartphone's camera to measure hormone levels, effectively transforming any smartphone into a portable, real-time hormone analyzer through computer-vision algorithms. To collect a sample, users place a thin cartridge in their mouth for 60 seconds, capturing the saliva. After removing the cartridge, it is set on a table for 20 minutes to allow the microfluidics to work, producing visible test lines. These lines are then analyzed by the Hormometer app, which interprets the results based on factors like color intensity and sample patterns.
Eli Health's platform begins with cortisol and progesterone testing, chosen for their critical roles in overall health. Cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone, regulates the body's fight-or-flight response, blood pressure, blood sugar, metabolism, and sleep cycles. Progesterone is essential for reproductive health, influencing menstrual cycles, fertility, perimenopause, and endocrine conditions. The company is also developing testosterone and estradiol tests for future release.
The Hormometer offers advantages over traditional hormone testing methods. Typically, hormone tests require blood or urine samples sent to a lab, with results taking days or weeks. The Hormometer provides immediate, actionable insights without the need for third-party involvement. This convenience and speed represent an advancement in hormone health monitoring.
Eli Health plans to offer the Hormometer through a subscription model starting at $8 per month with a 12-month commitment, with other flexible options available. This pricing strategy is competitive with other at-home hormone tests on the market, which range from $30 to $250 and often require mailing in samples.
"At Eli Health, we are creating unprecedented access to hormone health insights, providing individuals with the tools they need to better understand and support their wellness—every day and across life," said Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO of Eli Health, according to a statement reported by VentureBeat. She added, "The Hormometer is the result of years of dedicated R&D in our Canadian facility, supported by a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, AI developers, doctors, and innovators."
The device's accuracy has been a focal point for Eli Health. In third-party testing, the company claims its cortisol tests had a 97 percent agreement and its progesterone tests had a 94 percent agreement with gold-standard, FDA-approved lab tests. This high level of accuracy indicates the Hormometer's potential effectiveness in hormone measurement.
Early beta access for the Hormometer begins this month in the United States and Canada, with limited spots available. A full release is planned for January 2025 in these regions.
The Hormometer integrates bioassay technology, microfluidics, and AI-powered computer-vision analysis. By combining these technologies, Eli Health has developed a portable, instant saliva-based solution that offers precision across multiple hormones. This innovation transforms any smartphone into a sophisticated chemical analyzer.
Beyond cortisol and progesterone, Eli Health is expanding its hormone health platform to include other biomarkers, with testosterone and estradiol already in development. These additions could provide benefits for individuals undergoing treatments like IVF, reducing the need for regular hospital testing and potentially boosting chances of success.
Eli Health's approach also addresses privacy concerns associated with at-home health testing. While the Hormometer app analyzes test results to offer personalized trends and actionable recommendations related to stress, sleep, athletic performance, and fertility, the management of users' hormone levels within the app's database is important, especially regarding data protection in the US.
The Hormometer was named a Best of Innovation winner at the CES Innovation Awards 2025, recognizing its advancements in digital health. This accolade underscores the device's impact on the wellness market, offering a compact, non-invasive, and user-friendly means of hormone monitoring.
By providing immediate insights into hormone levels, the Hormometer allows users to understand how stressors impact their health and guides them to adopt better routines. This real-time monitoring is especially important for managing conditions linked to hormone imbalances, such as chronic stress, fatigue, infertility, weakened immunity, weight fluctuations, disrupted sleep, poor heart and bone health, and accelerated aging. Simplifying, reducing the cost, and making hormone monitoring easier is beneficial for overall health.
The Verge, VentureBeat, and Wareable.com reported on the Hormometer, among other news outlets.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq