Results show the app is as effective as other modern family planning methods such as pills and vaginal rings
An app for everything is the motto of our times. So, now, here’s one for family planning.
Early results from a first-of-its-kind study suggest that typical use of a family planning app called Dot is as effective as other modern methods for avoiding an unplanned pregnancy.
Researchers from the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at Georgetown University Medical Center are studying women’s use of the app for 13 menstrual cycles, or about one year.
The ongoing prospective study design is the first to apply best-practice guidelines for assessing fertility awareness based methods in the testing of an app.
INDIA’S ANNUAL BIRTH COHORT IS 2.6 CRORE BABIES. THE POPULATION FIGURE OF 121 CRORE, AS PER CENSUS 2011 IS NOW ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 125 CRORE. OF THE 640 DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTRY, IN 146, THE TOTAL FERTILITY RATE IS 3
The results are significant for India because of high smartphone and mobile network coverage. India’s struggle to contain population has been one of the country’s biggest problems. India’s annual birth cohort is 2.6 crore babies.
The population figure of 121 crore, as per Census 2011 is now estimated to be around 125 crore. Of the 640 districts in the country, in 146, the total fertility rate (TFR — the average number of children expected to be born to a woman in the reproductive age span of 15-49 years) is 3, against a national average of 2.2 as per the National Family Health Survey-4 (covering years 2015-16). UN predictions say by 2024 India’s population will surpass that of China.
India’s family planning strategy relies overwhelmingly on sterilisation. NFHS-4 data say 53.5 per cent of couples use “modern” birth control measures in India. Women undergoing sterilisation make up 36 per cent of that number.
The interim results following Dot’s use for six cycles have been published in the journal Contraception (title: Estimating six-cycle efficacy of the Dot app for pregnancy prevention.) Dot is owned by Cycle Technologies, which is solely responsible for the app.
Dot provides a woman with information about her fertility status each day of her menstrual cycle. It uses an algorithm and machine learning to identify the fertile days of her cycle based on her cycle lengths.
After women had been in the study for six cycles, the researchers found that the app had a typical-use failure rate of 3.5 percent, which suggests that Dot’s one-year typical efficacy rate will be comparable to other modern family planning methods such as the pill, injections, and vaginal ring.
“Given the growing interest in fertility apps, it was important to provide these early results,” says Victoria Jennings, PhD, principal investigator of the Dot efficacy study and director of the IRH.
“Our purpose is to provide guidance to women who want to use Dot as well as to health providers and policy makers who are interested in this emerging method of family planning,” she says.
