Smartphone health apps are increasingly common, but there is a variation of health apps that many may be unaware of – the fertility app. These tools, which use fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs), are intended to give a woman greater control over pregnancy. A new study from Georgetown University School of Medicine says the apps have a long way to go.
The study, which will soon be published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, found that there are more than 95 fertility apps available for download through iTunes, Google or Google Play. Fifty-five were excluded from the review because of disclaimers that stated they were not to be used to avoid pregnancy, or because they failed to use evidence-based FABMs.
A five-point rating system was used to rate the remaining 40 apps, using 10 criteria considered important for avoiding pregnancy. Thirty of the apps predicted the user’s fertile days, but 10 did not.
Only six of the apps achieved a perfect score for accuracy or no false-negatives. A high accuracy score in some of the apps was only reached if the app required the user to undergo training in an FABM before use.
Based on the findings of the study, the researchers do not advise relying only on fertility apps to control whether becoming pregnant. Lead researcher Dr. Marguerite Duane said, “The effectiveness of fertility awareness-based methods depends on women observing and recording fertility biomarkers and following evidence-based guidelines. Apps offer a convenient way to track fertility biomarkers, but only some employ evidence-based FABMS.”
Dr. Duane offered some additional advice for women wishing to use fertility apps. “When learning how to track your fertility signs, we recommend that women first receive instruction from a trained educator and then look for an app that scored four or more on mean accuracy and authority in our review.”