The Use and Efficacy of Mobile Fertility-tracking Applications as a Method of Contraception: a Survey

Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to investigate the use and efficacy of fertility tracking applications as a natural contraceptive method since there has been a worldwide increase in the development and use of applications that monitor the menstrual cycle and fertility window. An anonymous online survey had been conducted in order to achieve this goal, and a total of 375 married women from Jordan responded to our survey.

Recent findings: Topics discussed include fertility awareness-based methods (FAM) of contraception in which mobile applications fall into, and their efficacy and failure rates, comparing them with other methods of contraception while taking into account the typical and perfect use of each method. Motivation has also been looked at as a factor affecting the efficacy of FAM and advantages/disadvantages of this method were discussed. The prevalence of mobile applications that monitor fertility signs and their expected increased use over the next years was also discussed.

Summary: The use of fertility tracking applications is not uncommon amongst sexually active women in reproductive age, and the majority of users rely on them to track their fertility window. However, the efficacy of such applications as a method of contraception is not high and there is a significant failure rate especially if used alone. It is worth noting that 50% of women who reported failure relied solely on mobile applications and fertility window assessment without using other methods of contraception, and thus we advise women to use more reliable methods of contraception and not rely solely on such applications.