Your Fertility APP is WRONG!

10 Apr Your Fertility APP is WRONG!

A fertility app is based around a prediction given the dates you enter and some don’t even do that! An Australian Study of the most downloaded fertility tracking APP’s has found that over half doesn’t perform well at predicating ovulation !!! – which is exactly what most women that I see in clinic are using this APP for!

Commonly its one of the first questions when we are seeing a client who is trying to conceive; “How do you track your ovulation?”

Commonly, I use a smart phone that they downloaded for free “APP”

This is such a common mistake. Depending on the APP it may be giving you very inaccurate information. The Australian study suggested that only 42.7% are predicting the correct ovulation day & window. This means you could be trying to conceive at all the wrong times!

So, why are they so wrong?

Most APP’s base their predictions on average women’s cycle – It simply counts back 14 days from your predicted period to give you a fertile window. A women’s cycle is made up of two parts;

Follicular phase – Before ovulation, which is where follicles grow to the correct size for ovulation 

Ovulation – Where the follicle is released, at the end of the follicular phase

Luteal Phase – The phase after ovulation is named the luteal phase, because of the corpus luteam that creates the hormones post ovulation namely progesterone. 

On average the luteal phase is 11-12 days so when you app counts back 14 days is is WRONG. However what happens when you aren’t average? Or when you cycles vary month to month?

So, why are we trusting them with out fertility?

Because we simple aren’t taught any better. Unless you choose the appropriate APP or alternative tracking method you will never fully understand your cycle. For those trying to conceive it can make the process slower, but those who are using it NOT to get pregnant it can be big mistake simply because your body is always adapting and adjusting to your external environment, your date of ovulation may vary, even if you have a regular cycle. And if you have irregular cycles then these type of APPS will defiantly not work for you!

What should we be doing instead?

For those looking for a low technology option I recommend two main options; 

1. Cervical Mucus Charting 
2. Basal Temperature Charting (BBT) – Although this can be a painful exercise for many women it gives me as a practitioner highly valuable information. I recommend using the website https://www.fertilityfriend.com/ can teach you all you need to know about charting your cycle properly with BBT.

For those who want to embrace modern technology (especially for those trying to avoid pregnancy); 

1. Oura Ring – A wearable ring that tracks your BBT
2. Kyri Ring – A wearable ring owned by an australian own female led company 
3. Your smart watch – Garman & Apple smart watches can tract your BBT if you wear to bed. Here is information about the Apple Watch 
4. Mira – Hormone tracking device & APP. Has a 99% accuracy, and unlike above tracks hormones vs skin temperature. Slightly less convenient as requires you to test urination. 
5. Ovulation predictor urine tests – Useful for short term tracking, and can be added to our low-technology methods

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