Trying to get pregnant may be really difficult for some couples and many also rely on available tools online such as fertility apps and websites as they try to conceive. Can these trackers provide accurate guidance to the users? Unfortunately, most apps that track your cycle are inaccurate, according to a study.
Fertility Tracking Apps Are Generally Inaccurate
A new study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that most fertility apps available online and on mobile phones provide inaccurate fertile windows, TIME reported. Based on the medical gold standard, a woman is most fertile during her ovulation day and the five days before that day. Ovulation, a time when the ovary releases an egg, happens 12 to 14 days before a woman's menstrual period begins.
In the study, the researchers used the typical cycle of 28 days. Setting the first day of menstruation on the first day of the month, say January 1, the fertile window would be January10-15. Those apps that matched the researchers' calculations are considered accurate. However, out of the 53 apps that the study sampled, only four yielded an accurate prediction. The author of the study, Dr. Robert Setton of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College, said they were really surprised. "We all assumed that these are fine and probably accurate, because how could you mess something like this up? It's so simple," she added.
Incorrect Fertile Window Reduces Chances Of Getting Pregnant
Now, that is bad news for those who are relying on these apps as they try to weather the challenges of getting pregnant. Because of the wrong fertility windows, the tracking apps could be messing up the users' chances of getting pregnant. For instance, an egg only survives 12 to 24 hours to be fertilized, and then sperm has three to five days in the woman's body. So, couples could hold up intercourse until the fertile window to ensure there is a high concentration of sperm. "This all may lead to patients having intercourse in patterns that will not maximize their chances of conceiving," the authors noted.
Fertility tracking app users should utilize these tools with some reservations. Couples who are having difficulty getting pregnant should consult their doctors so they have proper advice on ways that can increase their chances of finally conceiving.
