British women share their experiences of using fertility tracking apps

AAfter 15 years of taking the birth control pill, Francesca* decided she wanted to know what her body felt like without extra hormones. She started using a fertility tracking app — which tracks menstrual cycles or ovulation symptoms to help estimate a woman’s fertile window — after hearing about it on social media.

“I had been taking hormones since I was a teenager and had no real idea of ​​my menstrual cycle in my adult life,” said the Londoner, now in his early 30s. At age 18, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and told to continue taking the pill to help relieve symptoms. “Remarkably, almost all of my hormone imbalance symptoms started to disappear after I stopped taking the pill,” she said.

At first she found the use of the app positive. She said she followed the instructions carefully and took additional ovulation tests as an extra precaution: “I felt more in control of my cycle and my body than ever.”

But then, after eight months, she became pregnant and underwent a “traumatic” termination. She started using the app again because she thought the unwanted pregnancy was the result of human error, but five months later she became pregnant again. “Now every time I see (these apps) advertised online or on social media, I feel compelled to warn people about their claims,” she said. “I would advise anyone using them as their only method of contraception to be extremely cautious.”

Francesca was among those who contacted the Guardian to share their experiences of using fertility apps, after a report suggested that women in England and Wales are increasingly ditching the pill in favor of fertility tracking apps. increasing the risk of an increase in unplanned pregnancies. .

She wasn’t the only one to describe having an unwanted pregnancy while using a fertility tracker, but other women reached out and had successfully used the apps to prevent pregnancy or become pregnant. Some describe them as ‘life-saving’ and ‘liberating’. ”.

A common refrain in the responses from people sharing their experiences was the feeling that – despite the launch of a new women’s health strategy in July 2022 – women are often still poorly treated by the healthcare system. “The experience of many women in Britain is that GPs are often not properly trained in women’s reproductive health,” says Francesca. “(These apps) speak to these concerns and the lack of care.”

Other readers describe their experience as “completely positive”. Sarah*, a 38-year-old reader from Yorkshire, had successfully used an app for contraception for 18 months and for the same amount of time to help her and her partner conceive. She struggled with deep depression during the pill-free weeks of her cycle and hasn’t suffered in the same way since.

“It felt great to come off the pill,” she said. “I was put on it at the age of 15 due to problems with my cycle, and looking back I feel frustrated that a decision was made just to suppress my cycle, rather than trying to understand what was going on was going on. Rolling with my own cycle now feels great – with a fertility app and my own knowledge, I understand what my body is doing every month and no longer feel like I’m working against my body.”

The past fifteen months have been tough for her and her partner. They experienced two early miscarriages and had to have an abortion for medical reasons. But she feels the app has helped. “The NHS recommends unprotected sex every two to three days and that feels like a lot of pressure when we’ve been trying for 18 months,” she said. “I also feel a little more in control while recovering from our losses because I can see in the app how my data is recovering.”

Olivia, a 30-year-old reader from Leeds, was told she needed to lose weight when she was diagnosed with PCOS so she could start taking the pill. But after hearing friends talk about negative side effects, she wanted to explore other birth control methods. Her doctor was dismissive and appeared to be reading from prepared materials about contraception when they spoke during a telephone consultation, she said. She decided to take a different route.

“I’ve been tracking my periods for over a decade now. It really helped when I was diagnosed with PCOS because I had that history,” she said. “It helped me monitor, predict and monitor my body’s signals – and now I’m pregnant with our first child.”

After three children and decades of using condoms and the copper IUD to prevent pregnancies, Hannah*, a 50-year-old from Aberystwyth, said she found her fertility tracking app ‘liberating’.

“I have never been on the pill or used contraceptives that involve hormones because I always found it unnatural,” she said. “The app allows us to confidently have sex at certain times of the month without worrying about making a mistake.”

*Names have been changed