Description of Session
The rapidly-growing number and popularity of digital health related apps, in particular fertility apps, present an opportunity to meet the reproductive needs of women throughout different life-stages. Fertility apps claim to identify the fertile window of the menstrual cycle and provide women with guidance on when to avoid unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. To understand whether such apps can be used to prevent pregnancy, it is imperative that research following best-practice guidelines be conducted. Although few fertility apps appear to be evidence-based, most are not designed to support formal research studies. An exception is the Dot app, an algorithm-based fertility app. To use Dot, a woman simply enters her period start date each cycle, and Dot uses its algorithm and machine learning to calculate her probability of pregnancy each day. In addition to helping women achieve their reproductive goal, Dot has the potential to educate women and girls about their menstrual cycle and fertility. Often, women lack basic fertility awareness knowledge but with a digital approach like Dot, utilizing messaging approaches may fill this gap. Using discreet messaging like in-app alerts and similar approaches offers a safe space for users to learn about reproductive health. This presentation provides an overview of the Dot app, the efficacy study, and study results in terms of typical- and perfect-use failure rates.
