ArticleDigital health
A mixed methods exploratory study of women's relationships with and uses of fertility tracking apps.
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 91 citations in OpenAlex.
- Implications of digital fertility tracking for clinical care: a qualitative systematic review.Reproductive health · 2025Pooled it
- How Self-tracking and the Quantified Self Promote Health and Well-being: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Patient Perspectives of Healthcare for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder in Australia: A Mixed-Methods Study.Health services insights · 2026Article
- A systematic review on patient and public attitudes toward health monitoring technologies across countries.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Motivations for Use, User Experience and Quality of Reproductive Health Mobile Applications in a Pre-Menopausal User Base: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Menstrual Cycle Management and Period Tracker App Use in Millennial and Generation Z Individuals: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Person-Generated Health Data in Women's Health: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Women's comfort with mobile applications for menstrual cycle self-monitoring following the overturning ofmHealth · 2024Article
- Women's knowledge and attitudes to the menopause: a comparison of women over 40 who were in the perimenopause, post menopause and those not in the peri or post menopause.BMC women's health · 2023Article
- Characterization of Self-reported Improvements in Knowledge and Health Among Users of Flo Period Tracking App: Cross-sectional Survey.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Article
- Menstrual Tracking Mobile App Review by Consumers and Health Care Providers: Quality Evaluations Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Review
- Abnormal uterine bleeding patterns determined through menstrual tracking among participants in the Apple Women's Health Study.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2023Article
- Can digital health researchers make a difference during the pandemic? Results of the single-arm, chatbot-led Elena+: Care for COVID-19 interventional study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Menstrual Cycle Tracking Applications and the Potential for Epidemiological Research: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.Current epidemiology reports · 2021Article
- Fertility and digital technology: narratives of using smartphone app 'Natural Cycles' while trying to conceive.Sociology of health & illness · 2021Article
- Goals, life events, and transitions: examining fertility apps for holistic health tracking.JAMIA open · 2021Article
- Algorithms, allyship, and advice: A qualitative analysis of fertility tracker marketing.Digital healthArticle
- "UPDATE: I'm pregnant!": Inferring global downloads and reasons for using menstrual tracking apps.Digital healthArticle
- Use of Menstruation Tracking Apps Among Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Multi-Country Evidence.Nigerian medical journal : journal of the Nigeria Medical AssociationReview
- A post-phenomenological analysis of using menstruation tracking apps for the management of premenstrual syndrome.Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Digital self-tracking is rising, including tracking of menstrual cycles by women using fertility tracking apps (FTAs). However, little is known about users' experiences of FTAs and their relationships with them. The aim of this study was to explore women's uses of and relationships with FTAs. This exploratory study employed a mixed methods approach, involving the collection and analysis of an online survey and follow-up interviews. Qualitative analysis of survey and interview data informed hypothesis development. Online surveys yielded 241 responses and 11 follow-up interviews were conducted. Just over a third of women surveyed had experience of using FTAs (89/241) and follow-up interviews were conducted with a proportion of respondents (11/241). Four main motivations to use FTAs were identified: (a) to observe cycle (72%); (b) to conceive (34%); (c) to inform fertility treatment (12%); and (d) as contraception (4%). Analysis of the free-text survey questions and interviews using grounded theory methodology highlighted four themes underpinning women's relationships with FTAs: (a) medical grounding; (b) health trackers versus non-trackers; (c) design; and (d) social and ethical aspects. Participants who used other health apps were more likely to use FTAs (
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.