Today, there is a deluge of ovulation calculator apps that claim to be able to track a woman’s menstrual cycles and predict the days when she should have sex if she intends to become pregnant. The basic concept is quite simple - you just put in the date of your last menstrual period and your average cycle length, and out comes the days you are most likely to conceive. But seriously, how accurate is your ovulation calculator app?
In a recently conducted study, doctors put 53 fertility calculators to the test and found only 4 of them could accurately predict the ideal fertility window. Most doctors agree that a woman is most fertile on the day of her ovulation and 5 days prior to it. Yet, some of the apps tested came up with a 12-day fertility window or something equally illogical. Obviously, such apps may not be associated with a reputable medical institution.
Another reason a majority of ovulation calculator apps get the fertility window wrong is a woman’s menstrual cycle may vary from month to month. If your menstrual cycles are fairly regular, then an ovulation calculator may be beneficial to you. However, if your menstrual cycles are irregular or either too short (less than 21 days) or too long (more than 35 days), your ovulation calculator will not be able to determine your fertility window with any degree of accuracy. The app can, however, make you aware of your irregular cycles for which you may seek medical treatment.
With regards to preventing an unwanted pregnancy, such apps cannot be relied upon as they fail to take into account that sperm may stay within the reproductive tract for several days following sex as well as the alterations in the length of a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Whether you are trying to get pregnant or prevent an unwanted pregnancy, your ovulation calculator has limitations and cannot replace the advice given by a qualified fertility specialist.
ReproMed Fertility Center is committed to providing comprehensive infertility and reproductive health care, including In-vitro fertilization (IVF). Our physicians formulate individualized treatment plans for each patient so they have the best chance of conceiving. ReproMed Fertility Center can offer new hope to those seeking to overcome infertility in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.