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According to a recent study, fertility apps are actually not very accurate after all.

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City reviewed more than 50 popular websites and apps that aim to highlight a woman’s “fertility window.”

They discovered that the fertile days identified varied considerably and that many of these included days after ovulation when the likelihood of becoming pregnant is close to zero.

They analysed the top 20 fertility websites found using a Google search, and the 33 most popular fertility apps in the Google Play store and the Apple Store.

“Websites and electronic apps used by the general public to predict fertile windows are generally inaccurate,” the researchers wrote in the July issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. “Because there is no rigorous screening process in effect to vet these websites and apps, we recommend caution in their use to assist with fertility.”

Their findings revealed that most websites and apps correctly predicted the day of ovulation and at least some of the days that were within the true fertile period.

But the fertile period itself varied from four days to 12 days and almost 75 per cent of the websites and apps included days after ovulation in this period. According to the researchers only one website and three apps correctly identified a woman’s fertile window.

Although most websites and apps differed from the precise fertility window by just a few days, the researchers say this can still have a significant impact on a couple’s chances of conceiving and suggest that more research is needed to determine if these apps are in fact useful.

The general recommendation for couples trying to become pregnant is to have intercourse every two to three days after the woman’s period ends.

Did you use a fertility app? Did you find it helpful?

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Image via Getty

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  • yes i noticed that some places varied by a few days so i wouldn’t rely on them solely

    Reply

  • I don’t use it so much for predicting fertility but just to track my cycle length, menses, when we dtd, when I took tests & medications etc.

    Reply

  • I downloaded the app but always forgot to add in all the data. In the end we got pregnant old school. Had lots of sex.

    Reply

  • It wouldn’t be accurate for a woman who occasionally ovulates more than once during the month.

    Reply

  • I used a little microscope called Maybe Baby which I bought from a pharmacy. It was an excellent and accurate piece of equipment at determining when I was fertile.

    Reply

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