Global Health Asia-Pacific July 2020 July 2020 | Page 38
Medical News
Online menstruation trackers
need to bring value
Study slams fertility apps for lack of reliability and regulation and their use as contraceptives
F
ertility and pregnancy planning apps might be
popular, but a new study has raised concerns
over the lack of accuracy and regulation behind
them.
Researchers looked at 18 studies published
between 2010 and 2019 and found that existing
pregnancy and menstruation apps don’t always
involve women in their design or even consult fertility
experts.
�iven the sparsity of discussion about how these
apps should be regulated, experts are calling for more
research since unreliable apps can offer false hope to
women trying to get pregnant.
�Motivations for fertility app use are varied,
overlap and change over time, although women
want apps that are accurate and evidence-based
regardless of whether they are tracking their fertility,
planning a pregnancy or using the app as a form of
contraception,” said the study.
�There is a lack of critical debate and engagement
in the development, evaluation, usage and regulation
of fertility and menstruation apps. The paucity of
evidence-based research and absence of fertility,
health professionals and users in studies is raised,� it
noted.
More worrying is that the number of apps is
growing and becoming increasingly popular among
women wanting to conceive.
A survey of 1000 women, cited by the study,
indicates that nearly 80 percent of them intend to use
a fertility tracker app in the future.
And they now have a wider variety to choose
from, ranging from very simple diaries to those that
use complex, sometimes proprietary, algorithms to
determine ovulation and fertility windows.
Growing evidence shows that women who don’t
want to rely on hormonal methods of contraception
or use condoms are finding the apps particularly
attractive.
While many apps are available for download,
there’s still little regulation of fertility and menstruation
apps.
Dr �arah Earle, Director of the The Open
�niversity’s Health � Wellbeing �trategic Research
Area who led the review of 654 records of women’s
use of apps that track menstruation and fertility,
expressed concern that some women might also be
using the apps for contraception.
�While in coronavirus lockdown, people are
using technology more and may be picking up
contraceptives in an ad hoc manner during trips to
the supermarket. As a result, they may think that they
can rely on these apps for contraception, when in
reality, there’s only one app on the market which has
certification,� she said in a press release.
�What’s really alarming,� Dr Earle added, �is that
we know anecdotally that women are getting pregnant
as a result of using these apps which are not designed
as contraceptives.”
�atural Cycles, the first app to be certified as a
contraceptive in the European �nion, claims a 93
percent contraceptive success rate, based on a trial of
22,785 women over two years.
�At �atural Cycles, our mission is to pioneer
women’s health with research and passion, so that
every woman is empowered with the knowledge she
needs to take charge of her own health,� the company
said in a statement.
Despite the company’s claims, Dr Earle advises
caution. ��o method of contraception is 100 percent
effective. Even if the app is used correctly, a woman
can still have an unintended pregnancy,” she warned.
36 JULY 2020 GlobalHealthAndTravel.com