Warning over high rates of unintended pregnancies among women using apps rather than contraception
The strategy, published today by the government, said that cycle-tracking apps claim to have a failure rate – which means an unintended pregnancy rate – of 7% in any given year.
'But there are international concerns following a significant proportion of related presentations to termination of pregnancy service clinicians in other jurisdictions,' the strategy says.
It said that unplanned pregnancy rates for 'natural family planning methods' have been estimated at between 24-25% in any given year, higher than condoms at 10-18%, or prescription contraception at 0.05-10%.
Unprotected sex will result in pregnancy for 86% of couples trying to conceive over the course of a single year, it said.
Cycle-tracking apps are typically used for women to log their menstrual cycle and receive a prediction of when their next period is due to come. Many of these apps will also encourage users to log their mood, sexual activity, and any hormonal symptoms in order to improve its measurements.
Based on this information, the apps will break down the user's cycle into a number of phases. Generally it will highlight when you are most and least fertile.
An example of one of these apps.
There has been a significant increase in the number of women using cycle-tracking apps in recent years.
For those trying to conceive, the apps' highlighting of potential phases in one's cycle where they may be more fertile is not a problem. However, there are now women who use the apps' predictions of when they are least fertile as a type of 'natural contraceptive' – basically, having sex unprotected or otherwise without a form of contraceptive during this time.
What else is in the National Sexual Health Strategy?
Department of Health
Department of Health
The strategy contains both its achievements so far and its plans for the years ahead. One big part of the scheme is the expansion of the Free Contraceptive Scheme, which was initially introduced in September 2022 for girls and women aged between 17 and 25.
It was then expanded to include those up to age 35 for whom prescription contraception is deemed clinically suitable. Now, it has committed to steadily increasing the age at which women can avail of free contraception until they reach 55 years old.
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It is also considering potentially including 16-year-olds in the scheme, who may require access to contraceptives for treatment of menstrual disorders. Sixteen year olds can medically consent to access contraceptives, but not legally consent to sexual activity, it noted, making this a slightly tricky area.
It said that it would scope and develop necessary legislative frameworks to provide for this.
Speaking on the matter, Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she did not think that changing the legal age of consent for sexual activity would happen, but that she would take a health-led approach when it came to contraception.
'There is a difficulty there, because the the age of consent is 17. But I recognise that young people need to be protected from a public health perspective.
'I would take a public health approach to that first and foremost, but I recognise that those ages are there for very important reasons from the Department of Justice perspective,' said the minister.
'I still think the justice approach about making sure that there is an age of consent to protect vulnerable girls, and you know, we have those those ages for very good reasons around predatory behavior, there's a lot of different very good reasons for that,' she said.
When pushed on whether the legal age of consent set down in legislation might be lowered, the minister said she did not believe that would be reopened.
Separately, it would scope out the potential of improving access to the minority of people who opt for sterilisation.
The strategy also committed to expanding the remit of the MyOptions helpline service that currently deals with women who have unplanned pregnancies to also be available to people struggling with recurrent miscarriage, unsuccessful fertility treatment, and complex menopause.
It also wants to expand its unit currently responsible for the surveillance of HIV and STIs to include outbreak and case management.
The Social Democrats' Health spokesperson, Padraig Rice, said that while the 'long overdue' publication of the strategy is welcome, it contains gaps that must be addressed.
He criticised that commitments within the strategy were not matched by funding commitments and had no timelines for delivery.
'Instead, we got vague commitments to 'strive towards', 'explore' and 'widen access',' he said.
'In 2025, we still have 10 counties with no public sexual health clinics – Cavan, Kildare, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon and Wicklow. And this strategy is the best the Minister could do?'
He noted that the strategy contained only 'passing mentions' to transgender people, saying that a new healthcare model for transgender people is 'desperately needed'.
The full strategy is available to view
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