Reliance on fertility apps on rise in England and Wales, study shows
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Trend away from hormonal contraception corresponds to rise in abortion rates, say researchers. Women in England and Wales are increasingly ditching the pill in favour of fertility-tracking apps, raising the risk of a rise in unplanned pregnancies, a study suggests.
Researchers concluded there had been a shift in attitudes towards contraception in the last five years, from “more reliable” hormonal options, such as the pill and the implant, to “fertility awareness-based methods”. While further research was needed to understand the reasons behind the change, the trend away from hormonal contraception corresponded to a rise in abortion rates, with wider implications for healthcare services, researchers concluded.
More women are using smartphone apps to track menstrual cycles or symptoms of ovulation. The aim of the apps is to help to estimate a woman’s fertile window, with women avoiding sex on those days to prevent pregnancy. The researchers said “fertility awareness-based methods”, which are often promoted on social media, could be less reliable, with the potential to “increase unintended pregnancies”.
The typical failure rate for these methods ranges from two to 23 in every 100 women in the first year of use, compared with seven in 100 women for the pill or implants and fewer than one in 100 for the coil, they added. “While the rise in abortion rates is multifactorial, one aspect that needs scrutiny is any change in contraceptive use, and particularly this surge in the use of e-health, including fertility apps, period-tracker apps, and natural family-planning apps,” experts at the University of Edinburgh said.
