Like any invasive medical procedure, IVF treatment can be complex and for anyone considering it or undergoing it, there might be a number of questions, issues, or concerns that might require addressing prior, during or after the procedure. Patients may also require support during what is naturally an extremely fraught and potentially anxious laden time.
The last decade has seen a proliferation of mobile-based apps for family planning. A recent conservative estimate has put the number of IVF apps that offer some form of assistance or support to fertility patients at over four hundred.
The early apps that were developed were essentially fertility apps – ovulation trackersand/or hormone markers. Using arrange of methods to monitor, record and predict ovulation patterns Apps were developed to identify a woman’s most fertile time; diagnose ovulatory issues, and in some cases were promoted as natural birth control devices.
As technology has moved on and the demand for online based help and support has increased so too has the range of available IVF apps. Anyone seeking an app to help with IVF concerns or questions is now spoilt for choice. There are apps which provide generic and specific support in relation to IVF treatment, fertility preservation and alternative fertility options as well as those aimed at ensuring that fertility patients are well informed and can organise their personal treatment (tracking appointments, recording test results and interacting with treatment providers).
The emergence of Artificial Intelligence based technologies will no doubt continue to revolutionise the IVF field and many of these technologies are reliant on their ability to utilise algorithms to successfully predict outcomes. We are now seeing a new wave of IVF apps specifically interested in collecting and harnessing large amounts of data which can be used to predict and solve problems of IVF treatment. These apps are now being used to examine the efficacy of different types of fertility treatments on patients.
Best IVF apps – specific needs and requirements
Is there a definitive IVF app which is considered the ‘best’? Well, the short answer is, no. Fertility patients are not homogeneous; we are all different and require diverse solutions to our personal fertility issues.
An IVF app that can answer the concerns and questions of every single fertility patient is alas not currently available! We are fortunate, however, to have access to a growing number of apps which are designed to cater for information and help.
Our advice, therefore, is that there is not one single IVF app which should be considered the ‘best’ – your choice of app should be based on your specific needs and requirements and as always we recommend that you try before you buy wherever possible.
This article has the unenviable task of highlighting a small number of apps which are available within the IVF space. They represent the next generation of apps and provide an indication of the help and support which is now available to the fertility patient. Additional IVF apps can be accessed via many platforms including the App Store and Google Play.
Introducing IVF apps
We now take a look at a small number of next generation IVF apps which have evolved from earlier ovulation tracker apps to offer personalised digital assistance to anyone considering, planning or undertaking IVF treatment.
Best IVF App comparison
| IVF App | Reviews | Rating | Example review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embie: IVF & IUI Tracker | 108 | 4.3 | Embie App is AMAZING!!
This is by far the best IVF/IUI/Fertility tracking app on the market. It’s easily accessible, organized, and everything you need to track your fertility journey in one. It’s also easy on the eyes! The color theme is beautiful – not too bright and flashy but very calm and pleasing. The app allows me to track day to day symptoms as well as mark my medications and even follow my embabies. It is hands down the best app our community has and I use it on the daily! I would give it 50 stars if I could ♥️ |
| Naula: Your IVF Simplified | 54 | 2.6 | Great tracking app but can improve
There are not very many apps out there for infertility or apps that help manage the journey one takes on it. So when I found this one I was pretty excited. I love the simplicity of the app. Easy to use. Tracks medicine and includes information/how to video on the med itself. Also has a schedule to remind you when to take it and how much of it. Appointments can also be added and includes an option to enter your doctor info. Great for tracking. There are some things missing that I think could make this app more useful and up my rating. It would be nice if there was an option to delete or edit an added medication or appointment without having to start over by deleting and re-adding the treatment. Also being able to edit the dates on your treatment would be nice. An option to add previous treatments or history so that it’s all in one place would be helpful. Maybe an option to export/email your history so we can save or print. |
| MindfulIVF | 57 | 4.5 | A lifesaver!
I am currently waiting for transfer day (so excited!) but just wanted to say how wonderful this app has been and continues to be. Doing the daily meditations has made me so relaxed and positive about the whole IVF process. I find myself repeating things said during the sessions throughout the day and feel ready for and even look forward to next steps. My husband is astounded at how positive and calm I’ve been through it all and I know it is because of this app. I highly recommend it to anyone going through IVF – I consider it as vital a part of my treatment as the medications. |
| My Fertility Diary – IVF Rx (Only available on Google Play Store) |
81 | 3.6 | Innovative and Good App. This app have very good and Easy User interface , it was easy to use it . I saw bad feedback’s , but I didn’t felt any of those bugs bothering me this time, May be they are fixed now, Anyway , I loved it . and I do recommend it. |
The Embie app
Based on this personal experience the Embie App was born.
The app enables users to store information relevant to their fertility health, diagnosis and treatment as well as enabling them to share and interact with a supportive community of peers. You can register and get reminders of appointments and medications; enter test and ultrasound reports and compare your results with women with a similar diagnosis.
The Embie app aspires to target both micro and macro goals. On a micro level, it aims to help empower women going through IVF treatments by offering a space to enable them to organise and diarise fertility related activity, track results and build their own community.
On a macro level it is hoped that the collation of thousands of anonymised accounts of fertility journeys will create a database which will be able to identify and predict the most successful protocols based on individual experience. Data science which it is hoped will help women undergo less treatment cycles, get pregnant faster and alleviate the large debt that can be accrued as a result of fertility treatment.
The Embie app like many of the apps described in this article uses technology to track your experience and feedback; at registration, you are not requested to share your name and specific, individual data registered in the app is never ‘viewed’ by the human eye but recorded, monitored and used to understand how our response to infertility is helping to shape future treatments.
The app is available on both App Store and Google Play.
Price: The app is 100% free.
My Fertility Diary app
The MyFertilityDiary App has been developed by a team of fertility professionals based at the Malpani Infertility Clinic in Mumbai, India. Using their extensive experience as one of India’s premier IVF treatment providers the team have brought together an accessible mobile app, with a flexible and useful calendar as its core functionality.
The app, like others in the IVF, space aims to provide the user with the tools to manage their IVF treatment. The premise behind it is a familiar one. IVF treatment can be complex, frustrating and confusing to all patients. When you are starting your journey these feelings and emotions are at their peak. It is at these moments where an app such as MyFertilityDiary can really help, enabling the user to take a step back and breathe.
This IVF app allows the user to create and track appointments; make notes, record details of scans and tests and acts as a personal organiser. MyFertilityDiary offers the user a variety of schedule templates for the most widely applied IVF treatment protocols. Consequently, all the user needs to do is select their protocol using its start date and the app will conveniently create their own personalised schedule.
As the app has been developed by the medical team at the Malpani Infertility Clinic, it offers logistical help with appointment and medication reminders, as well as a fertility calculator which acts as an ovulation tracker. This tracker enables the user to monitor their ovulation and identify potential fertile days. This functionality means that the app can offer both natural and more invasive reproductive assistance and help.
Price: The app is freely available via Google Play.
Download MyFertilityDiary App >>>
The Mindful IVF app
The Mindful IVF is an app brought to you via collaboration between the First IVF Clinic in Dublin and Aculife, a long established and reputable traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture practice in Ireland. Unlike other patient centred apps which are designed around helping to coordinate and organise treatment or tracking ovulation, this IVF app concentrates on supporting your mindfulness. That is your ability to identify, accept and appreciate your thoughts, feelings and surroundings in the present without being negatively influenced by our past or future.
The app uses the strength of mindfulness to boost the users resilience to stress, and improve their response to immunity and healing. Users accessing a mere ten minutes a day are offered improvements in overall stress and calmness levels which will, according to the app developers make a great contribution to the physical and emotional health of those going through IVF treatment.
The ten minute so-called ‘Mindful IVF Mediations’ (tracks) can be experienced pre, post or during an IVF cycle and are offered free to download. Subjects covered include aspects of the treatment process including stimulation and egg collection. For those seeking extra support, particularly around the embryo transfer procedure, a premium upgrade is available on a rolling monthly subscription basis. Patients receiving treatment at the First IVF Clinic in Ireland can access the app in its entirety for free.
The great flexibility about the Mindful IVF app is the range of tracks available for the different points in the users treatment journey. For instance, you get tracks devoted to both fresh and frozen embryo transfers as well as procedures involving donor eggs.
In addition app users can also benefit from access to Mindful IVF website which offers supplementary support to help prepare users for IVF treatments and during the two weeks after treatment and prior to receiving any results.
Price: The app which features segmented ten-minute tracks is freely available via Google Play (In-App Purchases range between €1.15 – €160).
The Nuala IVF app
The Naula IVF app was created by a former fertility patient, Paula Campos who experienced firsthand the headaches of being faced by patients when deciding what information should be stored and where. Born from frustration and panic Paula set about developing an app that would tick all the boxes in terms of privacy and security and offer reassurance and confidence to patients seeking a safe space to document their fertility journey. The app is intended to be as user free as possible and was designed using a mixture of personal (patient) experience and the knowledge of professionals involved in fertility care and treatment.
The result was Nuala. The app offers a calendar to keep track of appointments and medications, also allowing users to safely store information in one place. The app allows you to set reminders, upload both notes and photos. Video instructions are offered to ensure the user is able to use the app to its fullest potential. The app is offered to women regardless of whether your journey involves IVF, IUI, donor treatment, surrogacy or egg freezing.
The aim of the app is for the user to document their own IVF treatment and journey; once you have decided to cease using the app you can delete your account along with all your data. In comparison to other similar IVF apps therefore the information you provide is time limited and only used for your specific purposes; it is not aggregated and used to create larger data sets.
Price: The app is freely available on both App Store and Google Play.
Best IVF apps – FAQs
Which is the best IVF app?
There is no ‘best’ app – you will need to choose the app which best fits your needs at that particular moment in your journey. It may be that your choice of app will change over time so one app might not be always ‘the’ app for you. As your fertility journey progresses, your needs may change as might the support and information you seek.
Do I need an IVF app while going through the IVF process?
Once again, this would depend on your personal circumstances. Apps are not for everyone but they can be very useful in organising appointments, recording tests and interacting with other patients (Embie) or be used for relaxation and reassurance (Mindful IVF).
Many treatment providers will offer their own bespoke service including counselling, support groups and access to complementary therapies as part of your treatment package. If this is the case, you may not wish to access or purchase the additional support from a specific app.
The use of an IVF or fertility app, however, is not mandatory.
Best IVF apps – final thoughts
Patients have access to a growing number of specialized apps which offer information, help, and support throughout the fertility journey. Online and remote help services have become important to all patients particularly since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic where restrictions have curtailed patients’ ability to physically attend clinics. IVF apps therefore are playing a more active role in the fertility journey.
Many patients are exploring IVF abroad and turning to apps to streamline their journey.
Some IVF apps are offered completely free of charge, others offer limited functionality for a set period and full access for a monthly subscription and others will ask for a one off yearly payment.
Our advice is always to try before you buy. Write down what features and help you want and match these against available apps – if possible, enquire whether the app is available on a trial basis or test the basic functionality before agreeing to a premium service.
Discuss the app with your physician and/or treatment provider; explain why you want to use the app and discuss whether it might be an appropriate support mechanism. Look online and identify patient feedback; listen to other users and read reviews. We know how expensive IVF treatment can be, therefore you want to choose an app which has a positive bearing on the length of your treatment.
Above all, take your time and do not rush into using or purchasing an IVF app that can negate your treatment or have an adverse effect on your ability to continue with treatment.
The numbers of apps are growing and whilst there is no one size-fits-all, you will, in all probability, find one which provides the reassurance or support you seek.
You might be interested in: IVF Success Calculator – Your IVF Chances Explained
