ArticleWomen's health (London, England)
Period tracker applications: What menstrual cycle information are they giving women?
Article in Women's health (London, England). 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.
- Innovative Approaches to Menstruation and Fertility Tracking Using Wearable Reproductive Health Technology: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Timed intercourse for couples trying to conceive.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- A randomized trial of web-based fertility-tracking software and fecundability.Fertility and sterility · 2023Trial
- The illusion of empowerment: commercializing women's health in the digital age.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- How well do women understand their menstrual cycles? Insights from 383,085 UK based women.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign: a comprehensive review.F&S reviews · 2025Article
- Mobile applications available in Saudi Arabia for the management of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A quality review and content analysis.PloS one · 2025Article
- Level of Agreement Between a Modified, Three-Step Menstrual Cycle Tracking Method and a Female-Health Menstrual Cycle Tracking App.Women's health reports (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of menstruation and fertility tracking technology in childbearing women: a scoping review.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2025Article
- Developing a Mood and Menstrual Tracking App for People With Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: User-Centered Design Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Menstrual Cycle Management and Period Tracker App Use in Millennial and Generation Z Individuals: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Current Ovulation and Luteal Phase Tracking Methods and Technologies for Fertility and Family Planning: A Review.Seminars in reproductive medicine · 2024Review
- Determinants and Assessment of Menstrual Blood Flow.Current epidemiology reports · 2023Article
- Survey Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Menstrual Cycle Tracking Technologies.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Article
- Using Hormone Data and Age to Pinpoint Cycle Day within the Menstrual Cycle.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Article
- Complete Cycle Mapping Using a Quantitative At-Home Hormone Monitoring System in Prediction of Fertile Days, Confirmation of Ovulation, and Screening for Ovulation Issues Preventing Conception.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Article
- A post-phenomenological analysis of using menstruation tracking apps for the management of premenstrual syndrome.Digital healthArticle
- A survey of women's experiences of using period tracker applications: Attitudes, ovulation prediction and how the accuracy of the app in predicting period start dates affects their feelings and behaviours.Women's health (London, England)Observational
- Article
- 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
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeriod tracking applications (apps) allow women to track their menstrual cycles and receive a prediction for their period dates. The majority of apps also provide predictions of ovulation day and the fertile window. Research indicates apps are basing predictions on assuming women undergo a textbook 28-day cycle with ovulation occurring on day 14 and a fertile window between days 10 and 16.
objectiveTo determine how the information period tracker apps give women on their period dates, ovulation day and fertile window compares to expected results from big data.
methodsFive women's profiles for 6 menstrual cycles were created and entered into 10 apps. Cycle length and ovulation day for the sixth cycle were Woman 1-Constant 28 day cycle length, ovulation day 16; Woman 2-Average 23 day cycle length, ovulation day 13; Woman 3-Average 28 day cycle length, ovulation day 17; Woman 4-Average 33 day cycle length, ovulation day 20; and Woman 5-Irregular, average 31 day cycle length, ovulation day 14.
resultsThe 10 period tracker apps examined gave conflicting information on period dates, ovulation day and the fertile window. For cycle length, the apps all predicted woman 1's cycles correctly but for women 2-5, the apps predicted 0 to 8 days shorter or longer than expected. For day of ovulation, for women 1-4, of the 36 predictions, 3 (8%) were exactly correct, 9 predicted 1 day too early (25%) and 67% of predictions were 2-9 days early. For woman 5, most of the apps predicted a later day of ovulation.
conclusionPeriod tracker apps should ensure they only give women accurate information, especially for the day of ovulation and the fertile window which can only be predicted if using a marker of ovulation, such as basal body temperature, ovulation sticks or cervical mucus.
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