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| Are Fertility Apps More Effective Than Contraceptives for Preventing Pregnancy? |
When the birth control pill first became available in the 1960s, it was considered a major advance in women's freedom and control over their bodies.
Since then, women in many countries have been using contraceptives at some point in their lives, but now more and more women are turning to technology instead of contraceptives.
Many 'influencers' active on social networks seem to be constantly reviewing applications that can help you track your period as well as calculate ovulation time. This is the time when women are most likely to get pregnant.
Many women say that these apps have helped increase their chances of conceiving.
A British influencer, Montana Brown, who has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, recently announced that she became pregnant two years after she stopped using the birth control pill.
In one of the posts, she said that during those two years, she had been keeping track of her menstrual days in a 'natural' way, using a 'fertility observation' method.
'It taught me so much about my period that I felt my body was ready when I decided to plan for a baby.'
The post was part of an advertising campaign for an app called 'Natural Cycles', designed to provide information on the natural days of pregnancy. The app now has 2.5 million registered users.
In 2018, NaturalCycles became the first app approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for birth control.
The developers of this app claim that it uses an algorithm to determine a woman's fertile days based on body temperature.
And the makers of this app assure that it has a success rate of 93 percent, which is on par with commonly used birth control pills.
The idea behind fertility apps is that they offer an alternative to traditional forms of contraception and work by pinpointing the days when you're most likely to get pregnant.
However, there have also been complaints about the 'Natural Cycles' app from women who say they got pregnant despite using it.
A spokesperson for NaturalCycles told the BBC: 'As with any contraception this product must be used correctly for maximum effect as any contraceptive method cannot prevent pregnancy. is not 100% effective, even when used correctly.'
He added that the app's accuracy rate is "much better than other contraceptive methods."
Experts emphasize that condoms are the only form of birth control that can prevent pregnancy and also protect against sexually transmitted infections.
In 2018, Britain's advertising regulator banned an ad for the app on Facebook because the ad claimed it was 'highly accurate' and 'clinically proven to be better than other methods of contraception'. provides 'made alternatives'. Officials termed the ad as 'misleading'.
Despite this, several fertility testing apps such as 'Flo' and 'Clue' are in use, which claims to have millions of users worldwide.
'Apps are not suitable for all women'
According to the UK's National Institutes of Health, fertility monitoring works by identifying signs and signals of fertility during the menstrual cycle.
These include noting changes in menstrual cycles, daily body temperature measurements, and changes in cervical (ie, the neck of the womb or cervix) secretions.
This data suggests that if used consistently and correctly, these apps can be 99% accurate, but Dr. Annabelle Suwememo, from a sexual health clinic in England, says that this method is not for all women. Not equally suitable or suitable for
He warned that 'if your lifestyle is not stable if your sleep patterns are irregular, all these things can make it (the app) work harder and less effective in giving accurate results. can do.'
This method is also not recommended for women who have irregular menstrual periods or women who have recently given birth, says Dr. Sowemimo.
'Exaggerating the effect'
Annabelle Suwemimo confirms that several other factors make an app apprehensive about the technology used for fertility monitoring procedures.
"The problem with some apps is that they're subscription-based, so there's a complete (commercial) and monetization of birth control," she says.
Hence, 'they exaggerate their app or make it look more effective than it actually is.'
"We've seen that some applications have real potential, but before they have credibility there is any evidence or data, they are already in the market very soon.
"This is because there is a lot of pressure from investors (to market the product)," she adds.
Why are apps so popular?
April Inskip, from Leicestershire, England, has been using natural fertility monitoring for nearly a decade.
For eight years she tried different hormonal contraceptives because she felt they weren't right for her. After this realization, he decided to use the natural method.
"As the years went by, I realized (the birth control pill) wasn't necessarily enough to accept the damage it was doing to my body," she says.
"I used to feel lethargic, tired, my face would break out every so often, and then (I thought) I didn't want to mess with my hormones anymore."
April notes her body temperature first thing in the morning and records it in an app on her phone.
"I prefer to do a thorough assessment of the situation, rather than taking information from an app and then telling you when you are fertile," she says.
'I'm very confident about knowing my body and feel completely satisfied with the way it works.'
April claims that if she gets pregnant, she will feel the same as any contraceptive failure.
"I wouldn't blame the (contraceptive) method because everything has a risk," she says.
If you have any doubts and you are planning to avoid pregnancy, you should use another method of contraception as an alternative. That being said, even condoms are not 100% effective.
The UK's National Health Service says that minor side effects of the contraceptive pill can include mood changes, nausea, breast tenderness, and headaches. They also say that the risk of serious side effects like blood clots and cervical cancer is very low.
'They helped me understand my body'
Helen, from Nottinghamshire in the northeast of England, has been following the Natural Fertility Monitoring method for three years. She stopped using hormonal contraceptives three years ago at the age of 30.
She says that she had been taking birth control pills for several years but realized that the medication was affecting her mood.
"It got me thinking about trying to do away with hormonal birth control altogether," she says. I felt much better about myself but it took two years for my periods to return to normal.'
Helen, now 33, says she has no plans to have children shortly but believes she is 'mature and financially stable enough' if she does get pregnant.
"I'm so glad I stopped taking hormonal birth control before I had children because I didn't know it would take so long for my body to get back to normal," she adds.
Now she keeps track of her period with the help of an app on her phone. "I've learned more about my cycle and my body through this app," she says.
"It helped me understand the expected changes in my body during the month – what's normal, what's possibly abnormal," says Helen.
Sexual health expert Annabelle Sowemimo says social media is playing a major role in encouraging some women not to use contraceptives.
"With the rise of TikTok, people are sharing information that is warier of the side effects of birth control, so it's a very clear trend," she says.
She adds that the suggestion that long-term use of contraceptives can cause infertility is not true.
"People are scared, especially because we want to have children after using these drugs," says Annabelle Sowemimo.
"The main reason for the (fertility) decline is probably aging during the early to mid-30s, not the effect of contraceptives."