The Freyja study

There are a growing number of online and app-based fertility awareness methods available, for monitoring menstrual cycles and identifying the ‘fertile window’ (the time in the menstrual cycle when pregnancy is most likely). However, the way people use these methods, and how they feel about them, has received little research attention so far.

We will be interviewing people who use ‘Natural Cycles’ themselves and the partners of those who do so, to understand these issues from each of their perspectives. We’re carrying out this study to explore the views and experiences of people who currently or have previously used the Natural Cycles app in ‘plan a pregnancy’ mode, and whose partners have done so.

We will use the results to improve understanding of how people use technologies when trying to conceive. The results will be relevant to individuals and couples who are trying to conceive or who are thinking about doing so, including those who use Natural Cycles and other fertility awareness methods. They will also be relevant to health professionals, policy makers and app developers (including but not limited to Natural Cycles) in the fields of fertility, preconception and reproductive health. More broadly, the results will be of interest to people concerned with how we use technology in relation to our health and well-being.

This study is being conducted in collaboration with researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). The research is led Dr Rebecca French (Associate Professor, LSHTM) in collaboration with Professor Jill Shawe(University of Plymouth).