Dot app may help plan, prevent pregnancies
Early results from a study revealed the Dot (Dynamic Optimal Timing) mobile application is an effective tool for helping women plan or prevent pregnancies.
Researchers with the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at the Georgetown University Medical Center are currently conducting a study that analyzes the effectiveness of the Dot fertility app. The study is following a cohort of women who are using the app for 13 cycles.
The app helps users track their cycles and plan or prevent pregnancies by providing information about their pregnancy chances during each menstrual cycle, according to the Dot website.
In the study, researchers said an abundance of new smartphone apps are becoming readily available with a promise to help prevent pregnancies by providing information about menstrual cycles to women. However, in order to come through on this promise, researchers argue the apps should be tested and have the same standards as traditional contraceptive methods.
“Evidence suggests that many of the most frequently downloaded apps do not accurately identify the fertile window, placing their users at risk of unintended pregnancy,” the study said. “Yet, the potential of tailored, biometric data for pregnancy prevention should not be dismissed, as such apps have the potential to provide low-cost, accessible, non-hormonal methods to women who want them.”
The study is following a total of 718 participants between the ages of 18 and 39. Of those participants, 629 women were between the ages of 18 and 35. For early results, researchers used data collected from six cycles. The early findings following the app's effectiveness were published in Contraception.
Overall, 419 women completed six cycles while using the app. Results show that there were 15 confirmed pregnancies from cycles when participants used the app incorrectly, like having unprotected sex on days of high fertility. There were no pregnancies in cycles when participants used the app during high risk days for pregnancy.
Researchers described the early results as “promising” and believe the 13-cycle results will demonstrate a “high” effectiveness of the Dot app. The full study will be completed by October 2018, with final results expected in early 2019.
"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," Victoria Jennings, PhD, principal investigator of the study and director of the IRH, said in a statement. "We hope this paper contributes to the ongoing discussion about the effectiveness of fertility apps and how their efficacy should be assessed."
Danielle covers Clinical Innovation & Technology as a senior news writer for TriMed Media. Previously, she worked as a news reporter in northeast Missouri and earned a journalism degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She's also a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Bulls.