Analyzing Fertility-tracking Technology Use

by Dane Harter

A recent study published in international reproductive health journal Contraception, by Emily Neiman, MS, APRN-CNM, former clinical instructor of practice at the College of Nursing, found that the use of period- and fertility-tracking technology increased in some states after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, despite warnings that reproduction-related data might not be secure. The study was based on surveys from 11,000 people with the capacity to get pregnant in Arizona, Iowa, New Jersey, Ohio and Wisconsin. The study was co-authored by Abigail Norris Turner, PhD, of Ohio State, Maria F. Gallo, PhD, Marta Bornstein, PhD, and Megan L. Kavanaugh, PhD. 

Neiman and colleagues used data from the Surveys of Women, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, which surveyed women aged 18-44 about reproductive health in the five states. The analysis compared the prevalence of the use of period- or fertility-tracking technologies before and after the June 24, 2022, Supreme Court ruling that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case.

Neiman became interested in the topic based on media buzz following the ruling. At the time, women were warned that using fertility-tracking technology might have legal implications if the data were used against them in court. What she found was surprising. The study showed that fertility-tracking use actually picked up after the Dobbs ruling from one-third (pre-Dobbs) to one-half (post-Dobbs) of those surveyed. “I did think people would be more concerned about privacy and that we might see a decrease in use. I was kind of surprised to see that it had increased,” Neiman said.

Neiman, who is a certified nurse-midwife, wants people to know that there are many other factors that go into predicting ovulation and conception, and that data provided by some fertility-tracking technologies are only a rough estimate and may not be reliable. 

“As providers and public health professionals, we could be doing a better job of educating around the reliability of the information they’re getting from these technologies to help people who are trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies,” Neiman said.