Case in point: Natural Cycles Facebook advertisement withdrawn

Shemtob, Lara; Littlewood, Rebecca

doi:10.1136/bmjsrh-2018-200225

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…Despite their growing popularity, two major concerns have been raised over menstruation and fertility apps. First, how apps have been marketed, including the use of social media influencers8 and, second, questions surrounding their evidence base and efficacy, particularly in relation to the risk of unintended pregnancy 9–11. For these reasons it is important to review what is known about the use of menstruation and fertility tracking apps.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of menstruation and fertility app trackers: a scoping review of the evidence

Earle

Marston

Hadley

et al. 2020

BMJ Sex Reprod Health

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IntroductionThere has been a phenomenal worldwide increase in the development and use of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) that monitor menstruation and fertility. Critics argue that many of the apps are inaccurate and lack evidence from either clinical trials or user experience. The aim of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the research literature on mHealth apps that track menstruation and fertility.MethodsThis project followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. The ACM, CINAHL, Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for material published between 1 January 2010 and 30 April 2019. Data summary and synthesis were used to chart and analyse the data.ResultsIn total 654 records were reviewed. Subsequently, 135 duplicate records and 501 records that did not meet the inclusion criteria were removed. Eighteen records from 13 countries form the basis of this review. The papers reviewed cover a variety of disciplinary and methodological frameworks. Three main themes were identified: fertility and reproductive health tracking, pregnancy planning, and pregnancy prevention.ConclusionsMotivations for fertility app use are varied, overlap and change over time, although women want apps that are accurate and evidence-based regardless of whether they are tracking their fertility, planning a pregnancy or using the app as a form of contraception. There is a lack of critical debate and engagement in the development, evaluation, usage and regulation of fertility and menstruation apps. The paucity of evidence-based research and absence of fertility, health professionals and users in studies is raised.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of menstruation and fertility app trackers: a scoping review of the evidence

Earle

Marston

Hadley

et al. 2020

BMJ Sex Reprod Health

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Mobile Apps for Sexual and Reproductive Health Education: a Systematic Review and Quality Assessment

Muehlmann

Tomczyk

2023

Curr Sex Health Rep

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Purpose of Review The aim of this study was to present the current state of research on mobile health apps for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education. Apps were analysed based on contents (by using the World Health Organization’s SRH framework), features, intended audiences and quality of evidence (by applying the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach). Taking German sexuality education apps as an example, the rapid development in the field of SRH apps over the last 3 years has been revealed by comparing the quality of apps available in 2019 with apps from 2022. Recent Findings SRH apps allow health information to be disseminated quickly, at low thresholds and in a practical and cost-effective manner. Moreover, they allow for anonymous usage independently of time and place. In the absence of network coverage, offline use is also possible. Previous research focused on individual SRH aspects (e.g. human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), contraception). However, some studies were designed to cover a broader range of SRH topics, but identified only a few relevant apps. Summary To improve SRH, it would be helpful if the apps would be of high-quality design and be made up of relevant content. Furthermore, they should be tailored to the target group and have been tested in real-life settings. A total of 50 SRH apps with sufficiently high-quality ratings were included. The apps cover a variety of SRH topics, but they often lack field-based evaluation. The effectiveness of SRH apps has not yet been sufficiently studied in a scientific manner. Only 9 apps were deemed to be adequate for a moderate GRADE level. Despite this grading, the study nevertheless shows that there are several apps that could potentially promote SRH.

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Promotion of an Algorithm-Based Tool for Pregnancy Prevention by Instagram Influencers

Laestadius,

Van Hoorn,

Wahl

et al. 2024

Journal of Women's Health

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Case in point: Natural Cycles Facebook advertisement withdrawn

Cited by 3 publications

References 6 publications

Use of menstruation and fertility app trackers: a scoping review of the evidence

Use of menstruation and fertility app trackers: a scoping review of the evidence

Mobile Apps for Sexual and Reproductive Health Education: a Systematic Review and Quality Assessment

Promotion of an Algorithm-Based Tool for Pregnancy Prevention by Instagram Influencers

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