When you're trying to conceive, timing is everything. In a time when so many women are trying to juggle the responsibilities of family and work life, family planning needs to be scheduled right along with trips to the dentist and hair salon. Fortunately, tech geniuses are thinking about ways to make women's lives easier, and have designed some amazing apps that take the guess work out of getting pregnant. If you need a little help keeping track of your cycle, you could use one of the many apps to track ovulation.
According to the American Pregnancy Association (APA), ovulation is the time of the month when an egg is released from a woman's ovary and is available to be fertilized by sperm. As the APA further noted, an egg lives 12 to 24 hours after leaving the ovary, making it important to identify the window when you are most likely to conceive. If the egg is not fertilized within this window, the egg and the lining of the uterus is shed, and menstruation occurs.
The apps on this list allow you input data that will be used to keep track of your menstrual cycle and identify the best times of the month for you to get pregnant. And although it may not sound like the most romantic way to conceive, it can be a huge help for couples who have experienced difficulty getting pregnant.
So head straight to the App Store to give some of these ovulation trackers a try, and let your smartphone help you and your partner with your family planning.
1Natural Cycles
Natural Cycles ($8.99/month) keeps track of your period and ovulation. Just record your temperature first thing in the morning and the app identifies the days you are most fertile. If you're trying to conceive, the "Plan a Pregnancy" mode helps you pin down the ideal time for you to conceive. Once you've decided your family is large enough, switch the app to "Prevent" mode.
2Clue Period & Ovulation Tracker
Keep track of your period and the dates you are most fertile with Clue Period & Ovulation Tracker (Free). The app uses the information you provide to help you determine the ideal window for you to conceive. You can receive reminders before your period and identify patterns in your cycle, including your mood and food cravings. There is also a social component which allows you to connect with friends and family.
3Dot
With Dot (Free), you can identify your ideal conception window. The app uses your personal information to determine whether you have a high or low chance of getting pregnant each day. If you're planning a vacation or other special event, the app also predicts the dates for your period for the next six months.
4Fertility Friend
Create your own personalized fertility chart with Fertility Friend Tracker (Free). The app creates a color coded calendar with your ovulation and period dates. If you need a little reminder, the app will alert you to record your morning basal body temperature. And when you conceive, you can keep track of your pregnancy with the app's Integrated Pregnancy Tracker.
5Glow
You can set ovulation and period reminders with Glow (Free). A great companion for women who are undergoing fertility treatments, the app allows you to use information about your mood, sex, medications, and physical symptoms to create a color coded charts to analyze your reproductive health.
6Kindara Fertility & Ovulation
The calendar and fertility chart of Kindara (Free) keeps up with your cycle and helps you identify the best dates to conceive. The app also allows you to share the information you record with your healthcare provider.
7First Response App
From the makers of the trusted brand of pregnancy tests, the First Response App (Free) gives you one place to keep track of all of the data related to your reproductive health. The app allows you to find out when you're most fertile and can be used to set up reminders for doctor's appointments.
8Baby Planner
Female doctors were involved in the creation of the Baby Planner (Free) app. The app's calendar allows you to see when you are ovulating and will even send an alert to your phone, in case you forget to check. You can even check the best days to have sex depending on whether you are trying to conceive a boy or a girl.
9Period Tracker
The colorful themes and creative fonts make Period Tracker (Free) a fun addition to your arsenal of apps. Besides keeping track of your menstrual cycle and ovulation days, the app allows you to record moods and symptoms to create your own health diary. You can also connect with other users in the apps' community forums.
10Ladytimer
Ladytimer (Free) works with any smartphone to keep track of your period and ovulation schedule. Simply enter the start date of your period each month and the app does the rest of the work for you. There is also a feature that allows you to see when you are more likely to conceive a boy or a girl.
11Woman Calendar
Women on the go can take all of the information regarding their reproductive health with them with Woman Calendar (Free). The calendar function keeps track of your ovulation dates and allows you to set reminders to take your basal body temperature and take vitamins or medications.
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