Couples trying to get pregnant turn to period tracking apps
LOS ANGELES — Five years ago, Lacey Murga and her husband decided they wanted to have a baby.
But Murga’s menstrual cycle had always been irregular — she had a hard time figuring out the best time to try to conceive. So she looked online for ways to track her fertility and boost her chances of getting pregnant.
A quick search led her to the world of period tracking apps and wearables that help users to monitor their cycles to determine when they are most fertile. The apps, which have grown in popularity over the last several years, predict a person’s chances of conception on a particular day based on individual data the user plugs in daily, such as their temperature, ovulation test results and when they started their period.
Some use the apps solely to track their cycles, or as a natural form of contraception. But particularly among people trying to conceive, many say that these apps open up a world of online friends whose cycles align, or who can provide a second set of eyes on a pregnancy test, offer encouragement and support, or commiserate when getting pregnant takes longer than expected.
“It was really helpful for me to have this community I could go to, and we’re all in it together,” Murga, 35, said. “With my real-life friends, I always kind of felt badly about talking about it. I didn’t want to bring it up as much as it was on my mind because they hadn’t gone through it.”
Although many see these online communities as a way to cope with what can at times be a long journey to pregnancy, some experts worry that forums can also be a breeding ground for misinformation, whether it’s vaccine disinformation or through articles with misleading, clickbait headlines.
Privacy advocates have raised concerns that after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade last month, information collected by period tracking apps could become a liability if obtained by law enforcement.
The health data that people enter into most period tracking apps are not protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, experts say.
“Apps track you all over the place,” said Cynthia Sanchez, a clinical assistant professor of nursing at USC’s Suzanne DworakPeck School of Social Work.
“I fear them sending ads claiming they can do stuff for infertility that they can’t do.”
Sanchez said that she tries to discourage her patients from using the apps for pregnancy prevention largely because she believes they give “a false sense of security.”
“I don’t think they’re reliable enough,” she said. “If your period is irregular you might have a hard time.”
But, she added, she does support the way that apps can foster a “community of women helping each other” online.
Fertility Friend, the app that Murga uses, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for another popular cycle tracking app, Glow, said in an emailed statement that “we will continue to uncompromisingly protect our users’ privacy and personal health information. Period.”
“Our number one goal is to build the best products for our users and doing anything that violates their trust would go against our core values,” the representative said.
Dr. Yalda Afshar, a maternal fetal medicine physician at UCLA Health, said that although she doesn’t endorse a specific period tracking app, she sees them as one tool in the broader kit of fertility awareness.
“It’s not a perfect science,” she said of apps. “But it does empower you to make a decision that’s right for you.”
Tala Rezai uses several fertility apps because she likes to compare their predictions to see whether the different algorithms come up with the same conclusion. Some, she said, are more accurate than others at predicting her ovulation cycle.
The 39-year-old, who lives in Los Angeles, adds information to the apps consistently, plugging in the day on which she starts her period and the results of ovulation test strips. The apps are user-friendly, she said, and help take the guesswork out of tracking her fertile window.