Getting Pregnant with an Ovulation App

woman is looking down at her smartphone

We spend our whole early lives making sure we avoid getting pregnant, and often times, we’re blindsided by how hard it can actually be. When you’re ready to grow a family, understanding how your body works and when you’re ovulating are crucial to the process. Ovulation apps can help you do just that!

Rather than leaving things to chance, why not consider using one of the high-tech ovulation apps available to help you pinpoint when you should be getting busy?

While ovulation normally occurs any time within a specified timeframe, (usually two weeks after your period), most of us don’t have perfect cycles. That’s why it’s helpful to have an app to help us determine our ovulation days.

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What is an Ovulation App?

A fertility tracking app is a digital tool–usually an app on your phone–that helps you track your menstrual cycles and identify your fertile window. 

They use various methods for cycle tracking to predict the most fertile days for conception. Most apps are calendar-based and are guessing based solely on your past cycle length, but some allow you to include additional useful data,, such as basal body temperature and cervical mucus analysis. 

These apps typically allow you to input data about your menstrual cycle and sexual activity. Some fertility tracking apps also provide educational resources. 

Why use a Fertility Tracking App?

The primary reason we like fertility tracking apps is that they can be useful educational tools to help us learn about our bodies, and we’re all for that. 

Most people who use fertility tracking apps do so for one of these reasons:

  1. To monitor their reproductive cycles so they can learn what to expect each month, when their period might come, and when they should try to conceive, if that’s their goal.
  2. To increase their chances of conception by timing their fertile window.
  3. To avoid pregnancy by knowing when to avoid sexual intercourse due to potentially being fertile. 
  4. To identify any irregularities that could help them and/or their doctors identify reproductive health struggles the individual is facing. 
  5. To learn patterns that will help plan for future pregnancies. 
  6. To gain a better understanding of their body. 

Ovulation Tracker App: Are they beneficial?

When my husband and I decided we wanted to have a baby, we quickly realized things weren’t going to be so simple. To help us in our efforts, I began researching the best TTC tips (trying to conceive) I could find.

Many of the suggestions I discovered revolved around fertility ovulation.

Trying to predict when you will ovulate isn’t always as easy as we’d like it to be. If you’re struggling with finding the right fertile window predictions, learn about all the best ways to track ovulation.

When I first found out about fertility apps, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

While the app I chose probably wasn’t the best option for someone with PCOS and irregular periods (please don’t ask me the app’s name, I’ve slept since then and now have two children who’ve seemingly stolen my ability to remember things), it did give me a lot to think about.

Ovulation apps are a beneficial way to determine the most fertile days of your menstrual cycle. Added bonus: they can also provide insight into your overall health.

Many of the apps, for instance, will ask questions about your daily symptoms, which they’ll log in your fertility chart.

You’ll be forced to tune into those bodily cues you don’t ordinarily give a passing thought. Some of these cues include cervical mucus, breast tenderness, and, yes, the “joyous” mood swings we’ve all come to know as one of the major pms symptoms.

Don’t think of ovulation tracker apps as merely a source of information to help you get pregnant. Think of them also as a beneficial tool you can use to become more in tune with your body.

How accurate is an Ovulation App?

Unfortunately, this is a loaded question.

Many healthcare providers and scientists believe using an ovulation tracker app cannot provide the most accurate information about when a woman will ovulate.

In fact, some studies have shown that most of these apps only offer a 21% accuracy rating.

But don’t be deterred – this does not mean using ovulation apps is a bad idea! Especially because most of the are free, they’re often a great first step in tracking your cycle and learning when you expect both your period and ovulation.

The primary concern over the validity of results obtained with a tracker is that the results are merely an estimate.

Using these estimates from ovulation apps, hopeful parents can utilize other methods to help narrow down their ovulation dates, such as ovulation predictor kits, basal body temperature thermometers, or fertility monitors.

illustration showing hands holding a smartphone with a calendar and icons representing menstrual symptoms

What are the Best Fertility Tracking Apps of 2023

As with period tracking apps, there are numerous types of ovulation apps available, each with its own unique collection of bells and whistles.

The wide variety of options begs the question: just because an ovulation tracker app is right for you and your situation, is it right for everyone else’s, too?

The answer is no. Different apps are better for different people, so we’ve researched several of the “best” ovulation apps for 2020 to determine what truly is the best. These were our favorites!

Best Ovulation App to Get Pregnant: Fertility Friend

three smartphone screenshots showing what the Fertility Friend app looks like

Is it any surprise that the most popular ovulation app on the market has the word “fertility” in its name?

As a pioneer in the fertility tracker app sector, Fertility Friend has become the most popular ovulation app for hopeful couples trying to conceive.

Utilizing various data based on your period dates and symptoms, this innovative app has proven to be one of the most accurate ovulation calculator options available. It has assisted in more than 650,000 pregnancies since it’s launch in 1998!

What we love:

  • Streamlined design that makes ovulation tracking effortless
  • Each entry takes only a few minutes a day
  • Evaluation of your symptoms after ovulation looking for possible unusual early pregnancy signs.

Most Accurate Ovulation Tracker App: Ovia Health

three smartphone screenshots showing what the Ovia Health app looks like

With one of the most advanced algorithms available in an ovulation tracker app, it’s no wonder Ovia Health has been named the most accurate ovulation calculator.

Ovia is so precise in its results that it has even been named a trusted ovulation app for women with irregular periods.

What we love:

  • Goes beyond collecting of dates and generic data
  • System gives precedence to the symptoms
  • Uses them to accurately calculate the most likely ovulation date

Ovia has helped over 13 million families conceive, and best of all, it’s FREE!

Best Fertility App to Avoid Pregnancy: Natural Cycles

iPhone image showing what the Natural Cycles app looks like

Not everyone is looking for an ovulation app to help them get pregnant, which is why we’re also including an ovulation app to help you avoid pregnancy if that’s where you are at in your fertility journey.

The only ovulation app that’s also marketed as a “birth control app,” Natural Cycles is an ideal option for women who not only aren’t interested in getting pregnant, but are actively trying to prevent conception from occurring.

What we love:

  • Uses two metrics to predict likely ovulation dates: 1. dates of your period; 2. basal body temperature
  • Using basal body temperature vastly improves accuracy
  • Color codes days to let you know when to have and avoid sex (have sex on green days; abstain on red days)

Red days are also known as an “avoid having sex or bust out a condom” kind of day.

Natural Cycles isn’t just the best ovulation app to avoid pregnancy. It’s also an empowering tool women can use to take back control of their bodies.

It can also eliminate the need for prescription birth control pills if that’s something you and your partner are interested in.

Before you toss your birth control pills and condoms in the trash, however, take a few months to evaluate how the app works for you.

See if it matches up to the things you’re seeing and feeling in real-time to ensure it’s working the way it should be.

Editorial note: Your birth control methods are your choice, but Undefining Motherhood does not suggest using timing as your only form of birth control.

Best Fertility Tracker App for Infertility: Conceivable

iPhone image showing what the Conceivable app looks like

When a couple is trying hard to conceive naturally, but it’s just not working, Conceivable can be a helpful tool to guide them.

Its primary goal is to present women with the best available information to help them get pregnant on their own.

What we love:

  • Uses biometric data to predict ovulation
  • Rates every day of your cycle to help you understand when you’re at peak fertility
  • Analyzes data input by users and compares with peer-reviewed studies to help determine what infertility factors a couple may be facing
  • Considers 50 possible infertility factors, including poor hormone function, irregular periods, and diminished egg quality
  • Provides suggestions for improving specific conditions (including better sleep schedules, stress management, dietary changes, etc.)

The app has assisted more than 7,000 couples in getting pregnant. More than that, however, it’s also assisted them in figuring out precisely what types of fertility issues they’re struggling with.

Best Ovulation Tracker App for Gender Prediction: Fertility & Period Tracker

three smartphone screenshots showing what the Fertility & Period Tracker app looks like

Would you like to have a little fun with your ovulation tracker app? Do you believe in the Chinese gender prediction chart?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, you might enjoy this fun little app called Fertility & Period Tracker. We know, it’s not the most original name on the block!

What we love:

  • Makes an often stressful time kind of fun!
  • Helps predict fertile days
  • Uses information from the Chinese gender prediction chart to determine whether you’re more likely to conceive a boy or girl on any given day

It might not be the most scientifically-specific information available, but hey, it could be fun to try!

How to know if an Ovulation App is right for you

While there’s no right or wrong answer to this question, I’m of the opinion that ovulation apps, when used with advice from your medical team and your own intuition, are worth a try.

When you want to get pregnant naturally, for example, an ovulation tracker app is a simple solution that can provide a wealth of helpful information about what your reproductive system is up to.

One of the greatest luxuries that comes with these apps is that they’re a free resource for couples. Why not take advantage of the possibilities they can bring to your fertility journey?

What’s your experience using ovulation tracker apps?

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