Home » Archives for Jessie Brebner » Page 4

Author: Jessie Brebner

Should You Trust Fitbit’s New ‘Female Health Tracking’ Predictions?

Fitbit (the popular wearable technology company that allows users to track metrics such as activity, exercise, sleep, weight and more), has finally released their long awaited ‘Female Health Tracking’ feature this week. (And if you weren’t aware of this, well I don’t blame you for living under a rock – things are probably nice and peaceful under there).

However, the Interwebs have been abuzz with hype – from Coachmag, TechCrunch and VentureBeat, to Lifehacker, YourStory and Gizmodo. Basically, the new technology allows users to input data on the dates and details of their menstrual bleeding, along with basic cervical fluid observations. Fitbit then uses this information to predict the dates of your upcoming fertile window and your next period.

Wow. Sounds useful, huh?

To a point, yes. But I’ll argue that these sorts of predictions don’t really tell you a lot about your body with any certainty, and can actually cause more harm than good when users aren’t fully educated about the intricacies of the menstrual cycle.

In fact, this blog might have been more aptly titled ‘Why You Should Never Trust Period App Predictions Full Stop!’

Trust – is what you shouldn’t be doing with app predictions.

First things first. You can’t predict future cycles based on past cycles. Sure, you might see some pretty consistent patterns if you happen to be tracking aspects of your menstrual cycles such as:

  • calendar dates
  • colour, amount and consistency of menses (period blood)
  • basal body temperatures
  • cervical fluid observations
  • cervix height, openness and softness, and
  • lubricative vaginal sensations

However, there are many factors that can temporarily impact your menstrual cycle. These include diet, exercise, travel, stress, illness and more – and it’s not realistic to expect that Fitbit will be able to account for these temporary lifestyle factors when predicting your next fertile window or menstruation. For example, a stressful life event could cause you to ovulate far later than usual, or certain supplements and dietary changes could even cause you to ovulate much earlier than usual.

Travel – just one of the many situations that can cause a delayed ovulation.

Secondly, (and this point is slightly less relevant for users who will be inputting cervical fluid observations): Just because you’re inputting the start and end dates of each period, doesn’t mean an App can accurately predict your fertile window. Why exactly is this? Well, it boils down to the fact that most apps will assume you are ovulating approximately 14 days prior to the first day of your period. This 14 day timeframe is known as the luteal phase and is marked by a rise in Progesterone levels released by the Corpus Luteum after you have ovulated.

The problem with the assumption of a 14 day luteal phase is this: not everyone has a healthy luteal phase. You could have a textbook 28 day menstrual cycle, and an App would predict ovulation around Cycle Day 14. However, in reality you could be experiencing delayed ovulation followed by a short 7 day luteal phase. This would be easier to spot if you were tracking cervical fluid and basal body temperature, but for those users inputting dates only, Fitbit (or any app for that matter) is very unlikely to correctly predict your fertile window in this instance.

The above scenarios can all cause issues for people who rely on app predictions when trying to avoid an unplanned pregnancy or when trying to conceive a child. And the word ‘issues’ is really an understatement here when you consider the stress and stigma associated with an unplanned pregnancy, and the heartbreak associated with struggling to conceive a child.

Trying to understand your menstrual cycle based on app predictions is confusing business.

The good news is that using a method of Fertility Awareness completely eliminates the need for predictions of any sort. Why? Because every single day, you ask yourself the question ‘Am I fertile TODAY?’ Depending on the method of Fertility Awareness that you use, your answer will be based on a combination of cervical mucus observations, basal body temperature readings, hormone level tests and more. What your answer won’t be based on is app predictions generated from previous cycle dates.

So in short, Fitbit’s Female Health Tracking feature looks like it will offer you a nice way to record some basic observations about your menstrual cycle, but if you’re serious about trying to conceive (or avoiding a pregnancy), you won’t be wanting to implicitly trust their predictions. (Or the predictions of any other period tracker app).

Am I fertile – TODAY?

In fact, you’re better advised to invest your hard earned dollars in securing the services of a qualified Fertility Awareness Educator (find one here!) to teach you how to interpret your own biomarkers of fertility. You can then use this information to either avoid or achieve pregnancy (and that’s a whole other story altogether).

I’d love to hear whether you’ve taken a look at the new Fitbit Female Health Tracking feature – please share your thoughts below!

Women Share Why They’ve Turned Their Backs On Hormonal Contraception

This article originally appeared on mamamia.com.au

Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. For more information, please read the Advertising & Affiliates Policy here.

It’s been a year and a half now since I took my last Pill back in 2016. I remember the day well. I woke up on the morning of a new pill packet and decided “screw it” – I’d had enough of them and it’d only been 10 months!

By this stage I had changed from my previous happy self into an emotionless zombie – I was simply floating through my days in a strange sense of detachment while periodically experiencing anxiety attacks. Plus, my hair was thinning and I was developing hyperpigmentation on my face.

I had never wanted to go on the Pill in the first place, but condoms weren’t cutting it in the honeymoon phase with my new boyfriend. I had taken the Morning-After pill twice in the space of about 3 months (oops!) and I just couldn’t see any other way around it.

“I felt like a cloud lifted from my head”

Thankfully, as soon as I stopped the Pill I literally felt like a cloud lifted from my head – so much so, that people commented on how much happier and more present I seemed. And a few weeks later, I finally stumbled upon some information that completely blew my mind.

“You don’t need to use synthetic hormones or IUD’s to avoid pregnancy” said Summer. What?! That didn’t seem right, but those were the words I was hearing from my work colleague in the car on the way to our work Christmas party.

It turns out, Summer was right. There is something called the Symptothermal Method that has been studied to show a 99.6 per cent perfect use effectiveness rating, and a 98.2 per cent typical use effectiveness rating to avoid pregnancy. That typical use effectiveness rating is higher than the Pill which sits at only 92 per cent.

The Symptothermal Method is a form of Fertility Awareness. You take note of the look and feel of your cervical mucus every time you go to the bathroom, and you take your basal body temperature every morning before you get out of bed. You might know cervical mucus as “discharge”, but it’s actually very healthy and changes from dry or sticky to wet and slippery as you become more fertile leading up to ovulation. Your basal body temperature is your core body temperature at rest, and it rises after you’ve ovulated.

A Symptothermal Method chart in Pen & Paper

These two biomarkers tell you when your “fertile window” opens and closes every menstrual cycle. There’s only about 6 -9 days you can actually become pregnant – and that takes into account the lifespan of sperm, too. With this information you can decide to use a barrier method or abstain while you’re fertile, or you can schedule sex to increase your chances of conceiving!

A Symptothermal Method chart in tracking app ‘Kindara’

I learned all this while reading a book called “Taking Charge Of Your Fertility” by Toni Weschler. I then went and spoke to my GP about it and it turns out that she herself had used Fertility Awareness for over 20 years both to avoid getting pregnant, and then to fall pregnant when she was ready! Honestly I don’t think I’d ever been so shocked in my life. I couldn’t fathom why us women had been kept in the dark for so long about how our bodies actually work.

I soon found out that I wasn’t the only one. Summer introduced me to a Facebook group called “Fertility Awareness Method Of Birth Control” and I discovered thousands of other women using the Symptothermal Method. Personally, I see this as a bit of an uprising as women around Australia and the world are getting sick and tired of being told that it’s just our lot as women to endure crappy side effects in the name of sexual freedom.

Lara Briden, Naturopath and author of The Period Repair Manual

Curious to hear an opinion from someone qualified in womens health, I reached out to Sydney Naturopath and author, Lara Briden. Lara said “I’m a huge fan of modern fertility awareness methods such as the Symptothermal Method. They’re far more reliable than the old rhythm or calendar methods because they use the scientific observation of body temperature and cervical mucus. For example, one study of women trained in the Symptothermal Method found it to have a perfect use failure rate of just 0.4 per cent, which is pretty close to the 0.3 per cent for perfect use of the Pill. In my upcoming book Period Repair Manual, I recommend Fertility Awareness as the best of the non-hormonal methods of birth control. I also recommend it to many of my patients”.

It makes sense then, that so many Australian women from all different walks of life are turning their backs on hormonal birth control for a more natural approach. Many of them were kind enough to share their experiences with me.

Emily, 31. Sydney

Emily, a 31 year old from Sydney said “I came off the pill when we decided to try for a family, only to find out I had PCOS and erratic cycles. The Symptothermal Method has finally given me knowledge about my cycles and my body – I’ll never be using an oral contraceptive again. Every woman should be taught this method!”

Summer, 29. London.

Summer, a 29 year old Australian living in London said “About four years ago I came across the Symptothermal Method. Since moving overseas and other stresses, my cycle had been negatively impacted. Charting allowed me to see that something was wrong and find natural ways to heal. It’s such a great thing for women and their partners to learn”.

Nat Kringoudis, Melbourne.

Nat Kringoudis, founder of Melbourne health centre The Pagoda Tree and author of ‘The Contraception Deception‘, said “I’ve been practicing the Symptothermal Method for well over 10 years.  I have two children, both conceived very quickly after trying (testament to knowing my cycle) and I know my body well enough to use this practice to prevent pregnancy.  This is very important to me since I’m not wanting any more children.  I believe the biggest gift women can have is understanding their cycles and what their body is telling them each and every month.”

Jenna, Tasmania.

Jenna from Tasmania had a slightly more complex story and said “I was put on the pill to suppress symptoms of my rare, inherited bleeding disorder (Von WIllebrand Disease – VWD) as a teen. After 13 years, I had a handful of side effects, as well as the hormones in the pill no longer suppressing the VWD symptoms. Now, after 3 years post pill, the symptoms of my condition are well managed through other medications. Using the Symptothermal Method has allowed me to avoid pregnancy and side effects, and gives me useful information for my medical team about the state of my health.”

Sylvie, Tilpa NSW.

Tilpa local Sylvie, said “After suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks while on hormonal birth control, my partner and I decided to try something different. We used the Symptothermal Method to avoid pregnancy for more than a year until we decided we were ready start a family. The knowledge we gained made the process of trying to conceive much less stressful and we are now expecting our first child!”

Kirsty, 36. Sydney.

Kirsty, 36 of Sydney said “I was getting concerned about the everyday things that interfere with our body chemistry; like endocrine disruptors in products and plastics, and hormones in meat, but I literally had a foreign object wedged into my body pumping out stuff I knew nothing about. Ignorance might have been bliss for a long time, but learning the Symptothermal Method has given me really powerful insight into how my body works. I feel so privileged to have this knowledge and to be a part of the awesome community around it.”

The overwhelming mood was of positive change. It was clear these women felt the same way I did: empowered through newfound knowledge about how our bodies worked.

It dawned on me that men are fertile 24/7 and women are only fertile for about a week every month – so why are we the ones that have to grit our teeth through IUD insertions and arm implants and Depo injections and little Pills that make some of us sad? Go figure, but these are the questions I ponder while I fall asleep at night.

Synthetic hormones and non-hormonal IUD’s work fine for most women and can be important tools for some health conditions. But I think we all deserve transparent information – not only about their side effects, but that there IS another way.

I would love to hear your stories on how the Symptothermal Method has impacted your life – please leave a comment below!