Acceptability of a text message-based fertility awareness application for family planning in Lucknow, India

To assess user satisfaction and acceptability toward a cell phone-based short message system (SMS) application for fertility awareness.

Between July 1 and September 30, 2013, the present observational study recruited women of reproductive age who were presenting for family planning services in Lucknow, India, who were not pregnant, agreed to use the application, and understood basic English. The application collected information on an individual's menstrual cycle and, using the calendar days approach, predicted fertility. Based on an algorithm, the application sent a daily SMS text indicating the participant's fertility status. Participants completed an acceptability survey at the end of the 60-day pilot period.

There were 21 participants enrolled. All reported that the application was highly acceptable, and found it to be private, secure, and convenient. All participants were interested in receiving future SMS reminders for tracking fertility. Most participants (20 [95%]) reported being likely or very likely to recommend the family planning application to friends.

The application, with the aims of helping participants to identify their most fertile days once a month during ovulation and make informed decisions regarding fertility and contraception, was highly acceptable and might be useful in low-resource settings worldwide. Larger studies are needed for software optimization and determination of long-term effectiveness.