The podcast where you'll get answers to those questions you’ve been secretly Googling and all those things you’re too embarrassed to ask your doctor, because… well – We’re women! Shouldn’t we just know this stuff??
I help women to track their menstrual cycles, pinpoint ovulation day and get pregnant faster!
Truthbomb: Your phone doesn’t know when you’re fertile.
I seem to have developed quite the reputation for being anti-app. I’m not necessarily anti-app, but I am anti-crappy apps and it seems that there are a lot of them out there.
The internet is completely flooded with period and ovulation tracking apps that claim to help you to monitor your menstrual cycle and your fertile window. Here’s the bad news – most of them are nothing more than a high-tech version of the rhythm method.
Hello, and welcome to Episode 32 of The Mana Women’s Wellness Podcast. I’m your host, Rachel and today we are talking about period and fertility tracking apps.
Now I seem to have developed quite the reputation for being anti-app. And I’m not necessarily anti-app, I’m anti-crappy apps and it seems that there are a lot of them out there.
The internet is completely flooded with period and ovulation tracking apps that claim to help you to monitor your menstrual cycle and your fertile window. Here’s the bad news – most of them are nothing more than a high-tech version of the rhythm method.
And the rhythm method is this outdated idea that we all have 28 day cycles and that we all ovulate on day 14 of our cycle. And if you’ve been listening to this podcast for any length of time you would know that that is simply not true. The rhythm method is so damn ineffective both as a method of birth control and to help you conceive because it doesn’t take into account your unique cycle. The Rhythm Method was introduced in the 1930s following research into ovulation and when it occurred during the menstrual cycle. This information is great as an introduction to the menstrual cycle in a textbook, but not for a real-life human woman. It’s effectiveness is horrendously low and while most women have heard of the rhythm method and know that it’s more of a what not to do, rather than something to stick with, unfortunately so many apps out there are trying to be something that technologically they’re not.
Ovulation occurs at different times in the cycle for all women, and can even change from month to month. So, let’s day you ovulate around day 17, which is absolutely normal. If your app is telling you that you ovulate on day 14, and you want to avoid pregnancy, well the app will be telling you that you’re no longer fertile and you’re safe to have unprotected sex by day 17, when actually you are smack bang in the middle of your fertile window. Hello unplanned pregnancy. Or what about if you’re trying to conceive? You’re timing sex for day 14 every month because this is when your app is telling you your chances are highest. By the time ovulation actually happens on day 17, you’ve stopped trying for the month. Here’s a statistic for you – 50% of couples that are referred for infertility treatment just have the timing wrong! Which means they are literally having sex on the wrong days and they’re going down the path of IVF and emotionally and financially draining fertility treatments all because nobody at any point has told them that the whole day 14 ovulation thing is a myth! And it kills me that there are so many couples in this situation.
So here’s some tough love for you – if your app does nothing more than predict when you will be fertile based on when you last had your period – delete it. Right now. Hit pause, I’ll wait. If when you first downloaded this app you were asked to input the length of your menstrual cycle and the length of your period. If your app looks ahead for you and highlights your fertile days or worse offers to send you a friendly reminder 1 day before – delete it. And find one that allows you to log your symptoms and nothing more. No predictions please.
Another concern about apps is your privacy. You’re keeping track of some pretty intimate information and like all apps, the software companies that make them and regulate them use your data. They use your data in research studies they might run to prove how effective their app is, they potentially share your data with other third party companies for their research and god know what else. I’m sure it’s all there in the fine print somewhere, but you have consented to the sharing of your very private information when you sign up and download the app. And if you’re anything like me, the less personal information about you out there on the internet, the better.
I hope that you’ve already started your charting journey, or considering starting, and that you’ve got a bit of an understanding about your fertile signs, how they change throughout your menstrual cycle to help you to identify where you’re at, as well as what they tell you about your fertility and ovulation. If you haven’t yet and you want to know more, then check out Episode 2 of the podcast where I do a detailed introduction to your fertile signs and how to get started tracking them. You can also grab your free Fertility Roadmap with my simple, 3 step system to charting your fertile signs. You can find it in the links in this episode’s shownotes, or over on the website at www.fertilityco.com.au/roadmap. Included in this guide is a blank cycle tracker which is super simple to follow and helps you get started today tracking your symptoms and your fertile signs. Print off your chart and enjoy the simplicity of putting pen to paper at the end of the day instead of looking at your phone.
Now, I’m going to try and be as unbiased as I can be in this episode, so now let’s talk about what apps can be really helpful. And they absolutely can be for inputting information and tracking, just not predicting things for you! Apps are great for keeping an accurate record of your cycle symptoms and fertile signs, but like I’ve said, they should never be used as an indicator of ovulation or your fertile window. There are lots of free and paid apps you can use to track your cycle, start with a free one and suss it out before putting money down though. They can be very helpful because they can give you a visual representation of each cycle and graph your symptoms for you. But, apps should really only be used as a convenient way to have your chart with you at all times on your phone, or to share them with a qualified healthcare professional when you want to talk through your signs and symptoms, especially if you’re wanting to investigate an underlying problem.
Apps on their own are not enough to teach you about your body and your unique cycle and fertile window and they should never be relied on for contraception. Let me repeat – never rely on an app if you’re tracking your cycle for natural birth control.
To really judge whether or not your tracking app is reliable, at the very least you should be able to input your cervical mucus patterns and track your basal body temperature. Ideally, you should be able to add other fertile signs as well, like ovulatory spotting or pain or sore boobs or any of those other symptoms you might experience at different times in your cycle. Only tracking your temperature on an app or anywhere else is not enough to determine whether or not you are fertile, temperature can really only confirm ovulation after it has happened. If you want to know day by day whether or not you are fertile, you need to observe and record your cervical mucus – and this is essential whether you’re charting for birth control or conception.
Ok, so I know I’m going to be asked about my app recommendations so I’m going to cover that now. The app I recommend is Kindara. There’s a free basic option, and a premium paid subscription option, you can track all of the essential stuff, but it does have a predictive function, so turn that shiz off immediately. It does claim that it makes predictions on your data rather than the whole day 14 thing, but I still don’t recommend this because anytime something is marked as a prediction, a part of you is going to trust the technology even if your own symptoms aren’t lining up. And I want you to 100% trust your body throughout this process.
I hope you found this episode helpful because this is something I speak with women about all the damn time. I’m constantly seeing women doubting their own observations because it doesn’t match up with what the app said! They’re seeing fertile quality cervical mucus but they’re disregarding it and not seeing it for what it clearly is, because my app says I’ve already ovulated, or that shouldn’t happen until next week.
Seriously, your phone doesn’t know when you’re fertile. Phones are wonderful. I like my phone. I use it a lot. But your phone can’t feel if you’re wet or dry today, Your phone can’t see your cervical mucus. And your version of fertile mucus isn’t necessarily the same as the next woman. You have the knowledge to identify when you’re fertile. By all means input that information into an app, but don’t let an app tell you what’s happening inside your own body.
If you learnt something new or found value in today’s episode, I’d love to hear from you! Send me an Instagram DM, and let me know what you want me to talk about. This podcast is for you and so I want to talk about the things that are most important to you!
I will see you in next week’s episode, where we are talking post-pill acne and how to manage our skin when we stop taking hormonal contraceptives and those pimples start popping up.
Ok, bye for now and don’t forget that knowledge is power!
When you truly understand your body, you are empowered to make informed decisions and take control of your health!
Until next time.
Want to say goodbye to hormonal contraceptives and their weird and unpleasant side effects?
Want to improve your chances of conceiving quickly and naturally?
You need my Fertility Roadmap – My simple 3-step system to understanding your body’s natural fertile signs and pinpointing ovulation day so that you can use this knowledge to achieve (or avoid) pregnancy.
Episode 1 – Menstrual Cycle 101
Episode 2 – Am I Ovulating? The One Check You Can Do Every Day to Know For Sure When You’re Fertile
Episode 12 – The Menstrual Phase – Menstrual Cycle Masterclass Part 1
Episode 13 – The Follicular Phase – Menstrual Cycle Masterclass Part 2
Episode 14 – The Ovulatory Phase – Menstrual Cycle Masterclass Part 3
Episode 15 – The Luteal Phase – Menstrual Cycle Masterclass Part 4
Episode 18 – Is My Cervical Mucus Normal?
Episode 19 – Coming Off The Pill (Part I)
Episode 20 – Coming Off The Pill (Part II)
Does your pelvic floor need a little extra TLC? Take the Pelvic Floor Quiz and find out how to start strengthening your pelvic floor today!
Want to make sure you’re exercising safely during your pregnancy? Get your Free Guide: 10 Exercises to Avoid During Pregnancy.
If you enjoyed this episode and The Mana Women’s Wellness Podcast generally, I have a favour. Please take two minutes to subscribe, and to write a rating and a review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts right now by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and I would be truly grateful. Thank you so much.
FREE MINI COURSE