3 Best Apps - Trying to Conceive

There is no secret that my husband and I have been trying to conceive (TTC). In June of this year the memory of how the early days of having a newborn finally faded and we decided that we wanted to expand our family. For our daughter we got pregnant the first time we TTC. So, needless to say, I did not have to rely on any apps to help me track my period (which will be referred to as Aunt Flow AF from here on out). After two months of just trying I began to realize that we may have to track what was going on during my cycles. 

Before having my daughter, my cycles were very normal and consistent. They were 28 days right on the button, but since having my little one things have been different. For starters, I breastfed which caused AF to disappear for a long time. My daughter was born in May 2013 and AF did not return until December 2013 which was great, however, when she did she was not the same. AF last longer (5 days when before it was just 2) and my cycles were much shorter averaging 24 days. I have read that this is typical after childbirth. I mean, my whole body is completely different than what it was pre baby. 

So, I needed to find an app that would help me track when I was ovulating and because I do everything in excess, I use three (to cover all bases, of course). Here are the pros and cons of each. 

1. Fertility Friend. This is the newest addition for me and it is the first month that I have tried this one. The app has more of a "medically" feel compared to the others. It helps to track your basel temperatures. Your body's temp fluctuates throughout your cycle and when you ovulate it rises. Tracking helps to determine when you ovulate. This is especially helpful for those who ovulate later in their cycle like I do. There is also the ability to look at other's cycles which can help you to determine what it might look like temp wise when ovulation occurs. The cons for me is that it does not have an easy appearance, at first, and can be overwhelming with so many different letters in the charts, but there is a legend key at the bottom for the chart which helps. A lot. 

 2. Glow. I will be honest about this app, I like the way it is set up. Visually it is the best as the calendar is easy to understand and navigate, but there are some downfalls. It does not take into account your basel temp to determine your fertility days and basically makes assumptions on when you should be ovulating. If you track you ovulation by your testing your urine then you can enter that and it will change what they assumed was when you ovulated. This app is more community group focused with message boards. I have found though, in my opinion, most of the forums are being used by people who are not really there for the sake of supporting others. Especially as of late, there seems to be a rise in teens (15-17 yr olds) posting about trying to get pregnant. Needless to say, it has caused major drama filled posting which makes the whole thing less appealing to even look at. I am even thinking about just deleting it because the community support was what I liked the best about this app and without it it seems useless to keep.

 3. Ovia. This is by far my favorite app. I just like the look of it and the content that it shares. It helps you track your ovulation and so much more. They share recipes and breakdown concepts in easy to use terms like why tracking your basel temp is important and such. It also gives you a longer window for your fertile days and it does track you basel temps too which is very helpful.

So there you have it. I really think less stress is best and I have been trying to get myself in that mode, but ya know, when your a hypochondriac its hard to do. If you are TTC and you want to be buddies, just email me.

Here's hoping for a July 2015 baby :)