Women's perspectives on smartphone apps for fertility tracking and predicting conception: a mixed methods study

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Digital Health
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Limited understanding of women's perspectives on fertility tracking apps (FTAs) for conception.
• Exploration of FTA usage, conception knowledge, and attitudes toward a natural conception prediction app (NCPA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how women trying to conceive utilize FTAs.
• To assess women's awareness of their conception probabilities.
• To gauge women's receptiveness to a novel NCPA.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach combining online surveys and phone interviews.
• Participants: Women aged 18-40 actively trying to conceive.
• Data analysis: Thematic analysis for interviews, descriptive statistics for survey.

Main Results:

• Nearly all surveyed women (94.8%) were aware of FTAs and used multiple information sources.
• Women consider various factors (age, finances, relationship stability) and adopt lifestyle changes when trying to conceive.
• Overwhelming interest in an NCPA (99.4%), with positive reception for personalized information but concerns about potentially upsetting content.

Conclusions:

• Research highlights women's current use of and interest in FTAs and NCPA.
• Findings suggest opportunities for improving conception support through NCPA development.
• Recommendations for future research include diversifying participant samples for inclusive NCPA development.