Background: The number of Mobile applications for postponing childbearing and pregnancy timing is increasing on the market nowadays, and the increasing amount of women are using them.
Aims: To analyze how Spanish women use postpone childbearing and pregnancy apps, their attitudes towards the provided information, the tests and questionnaires, data privacy and security related to such use, and what features they look for in these apps. This investigation is part of a broader project which aims to improve the credibility of egg freezing mobile applications.
Methods: An online survey was completed by 358 women who have been used one of the egg freezing applications. These women were the members of online communities of practice and forums with the subject of egg freezing. The participants were aged between 28 and 43.
Findings: Most of the participants used the app called “frzMyEggs” which has the highest rate among the others. However, many of them had tried other apps before. More than half of the participants found the apps helpful regarding provided information and the hormonal test and success rate estimation. However, the questions related to social life, and also the interpretations from their answers have been criticized by most of the participants. They did not find them very helpful in the decision-making process for egg freezing. Most of the participants were not considering the legality of the content of these apps or considering privacy and policy issues regarding personal information.
Conclusion: These apps are new in the market, but they are growing due to the increasing development of social egg freezing technology and its users. The main use of these apps is to help for decision-making through providing information, estimating the success rate of the technology based on age and hormonal condition and doing a survey which focuses on the personal and social life of the user. The presented information can be improved, including more details. The success rate estimation can also be more accurate, adding more influence elements such as the level of some hormones. The most critical part and less developed of these apps is the survey which includes superficial questions and interpretations. These applications need to improve the questions and interpretation to provide women with a broader sight of their personal and emotional life in the context of society. It is essential to provide awareness about their feeling and emotions, economic situation, laboral and social position, and social structure.