We’ve found out some fascinating information about how people are using apps!
Check out our latest ideas about the role of menstrual app medical information here.
“What if it’s wrong?” Ovulation and Fertility Understanding of Menstrual App Users has just been published in the journal Social Science & Medicine: Qualitative Research in Health. It’s free and open-access!
Highlights
- Menstrual app users appreciate predictions of ovulation.
- App users are unsure how predictions are made and are concerned about accuracy.
- Some app users rely on app predictions to avoid pregnancy.
- App users need accurate information about menstrual cycles and variability.
- App predictions must be evaluated and explained.
Periods as Powerful Data: User Understandings of Menstrual App Data and Information is published in the journal New Media and Society. These results were also presented at the Data Justice 2021 conference.
Our interviews with twenty-five menstrual app users across Aotearoa New Zealand found that:
- Some participants only track their period, while others track additional symptoms.
- Participants appreciated having a choice of data to track, and they entered quite a lot of data into their apps.
- Most participants had not given much thought to their data, viewing it as uninteresting and unproblematic.
- A small group were concerned by the data risks and managed this in several ways.
- Most participants supported using data for menstrual health research.
Our research demonstrates a need for digital literacy. We would like to see limits on the use of menstruation information, where menstruators themselves are controlling and benefiting from their data.
We’ve also been featured in an RNZ web report and audio report.
