An Amazon has shut down a secret four-year-old program aimed at developing a fertility monitoring device and related mobile app, CNBC reported yesterday.

The project, branded "Encore," was the offspring of the company's acquisition in 2020 of a firm called bluDiagnostics. The latter was working on the development of a device that could measure the levels of estradiol and progesterone, hormones that determine the femininity of a woman, in saliva samples.

The report said that the product is expected to be launched this year by Amazon. However, about 100 people face technical problems. Encore is part of the Grand Challenge initiative by Amazon-a mysterious lab that is famous for bold or moonshot projects like cancer research.

Under Andy Jassy, the new CEO of the company, since 2022, has been in the cost-cutting mode. He didn't only let go of 27,000 employees but also shut down some experimental projects. These range from an AR headset for meetings to a virtual tour product.