Ashanti And Nelly Unveil Co-Ownership Of Fertility Company Proov ...

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 08: Ashanti and Nelly attend 3rd Annual Birthday Ball for Quality Control ... [+] CEO Pierre "P" Thomas at The Fox Theatre on June 08, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Ashanti and Nelly officially announced the impending arrival of their first child together in an exclusive interview with ESSENCE on Wednesday. The announcement was also smoothly shared on Instagram, cleverly presented as an ad for Proov, an fertility and hormone diagnostics company that the couple revealed they co-own.

Ashanti captioned an Instagram video post with a playful "Baby baby baby..." featuring the ad and announcement smashup. The video features the "Foolish" singer backstage at one of her invigorating shows, getting prepped and glammed up and taking some form of strip test, while her mother excitedly asks how much more time is needed. Ashanti responds with a smile and says, "I’m going to need about 9 months," confirming her pregnancy.

The announcement is also exclusively featured on ESSENCE, where the Long Island-born talent finally shares her thoughts about entering the next stage of her life — motherhood with longtime beau and now fiancé, rapper Nelly.

“This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation,” Ashanti said. “Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience.”

Nelly and Ashanti during "John Tucker Must Die" Los Angeles Premiere - Red Carpet at Mann's Chinese ... [+] Theater in Hollywood, California, United States. (Photo by Jesse Grant/WireImage)

The couple also revealed that they co-own Proov, the fertility and hormone diagnostics company featured as the test provider in the announcement video. The company offers a range of FDA-approved at-home fertility tests, treatments and supportive supplements.

Proov received acclaim for introducing the first PdG-test, which evaluates Pregnanediol Glucuronide levels to offer insights into successful ovulation. In 2016, Dr. Amy Beckley, the CEO and creator of Proov, developed this test following her personal experience with fertility challenges. As a researcher, Dr. Beckley identified a luteal phase dysfunction impacting ovulation effectiveness. The Proov PdG test is the inaugural at-home test endorsed by the FDA for verifying ovulation.

The test offers an affordable option for women trying to conceive to identify fertility issues, including treatable dysfunctions related to ovulation. Proov tests have been extensively clinically tested, and the company includes a team of medical advisors. They have also partnered with several Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologists through a virtual fertility clinic who can interpret the results of Proov tests.

The new partnership with Proov demonstrates Ashanti's support for both motherhood and entrepreneurship, conveying the idea that it is always possible to pursue such goals at any stage of life.

At 43 years old, Ashanti is anticipating the arrival of her first child, while Nelly, who already has four children, will be welcoming his fifth. The couple previously had a relationship from 2003 for nearly ten years and rekindled their romance in 2023 after embracing at the Fat Joe and Ja Rule Verzuz event in 2021.