Are cycle tracking and cycle charting the same?

By Karla Montiel Semen, FCP, medical assistant at the Gianna Center

Cycle tracking and cycle charting. These terms may seem interchangeable, but the reality is they are not! At the Gianna Center, I always ask if the patient has charted her cycles before (of course, I mean with the Creighton Model FertilityCare system), and most women will answer, "Yes!" Then she will take out her cell phone and come up with an app like Flo or Apple Health. But how do these types of apps work, and how accurate are they? First, let us explore cycle tracking with apps. 

Cycle Tracking is based on prediction. The program uses the data a woman provides to estimate the time of ovulation. It is actually based on the history of prior cycles more than on real-time data. As we know, hormones and cycles are completely different from woman to woman and, in the same woman, from cycle to cycle.

Most of these tracking apps have not been proven accurate by peer-reviewed medical research. While they can provide an estimation of a woman's “fertile window,” I have found that they are rarely correct compared to the ultrasound imaging of the follicles and laboratory data that we see in the office. 

Another consideration is privacy. How do you know your fertility app and any other wearable devices you pair with it are protecting your data privacy online?

Now let's consider cycle charting with the Creighton Model FertilityCare System (CrMS). The CrMS is based on real-time data, with no assumptions and no predictions. 

A woman knows her fertile window with the biomarkers that she sees at that moment. This is very helpful because she can see if there are changes in her cycle when she is taking any new medications or supplements, engaging in dietary restrictions, or starting a new exercise program. The CrMS charting will even show the effects of emotional stress (yes, stress can delay ovulation).

The CrMS is also a diagnostic tool, as it provides information for the doctor to determine the underlying problem. It is one thing to know when the cycle begins (menstruation) and another to obtain insight into a woman's biomarkers (cycle lengths, bleeding patterns, cervical fluid) during the cycle.

One advantage of the CrMS is its versatility and ability to continue even after a woman has changed reproductive categories. For example, the charting is the same whether she is postpartum, breastfeeding, or perimenopausal. It can even be used if she is experiencing irregular periods or transitioning from the use of artificial hormones such as birth control pills.

Utilizing the CrMS is extremely helpful in assessing hormone levels.  As we know, hormones will fluctuate throughout the cycle, and that’s what makes the biomarker changes a woman sees. NaproTechnology doctors can target hormones at certain times of the cycle and diagnose more accurately.  In our practice, we have had a number of patients informed by their primary care physicians that their thyroid gland was functioning normally; however, when we complete the bloodwork on specific days in the cycle utilizing the CrMS chart, it is determined that many do indeed have thyroid dysfunction. This is critical information for women who are planning to become pregnant, as low thyroid levels can cause miscarriages. 

The CrMS chart is available in paper form or online through the official FertilityCare App developed by the Saint Paul VI Institute.

This app is a web-based application, which means that it is accessible from any device with access to the internet. The Saint Paul VI Institute developed it following all HIPAA regulations, so one can be assured that there will not be any sharing of information or data breach!

Both the man and the woman can access the chart on their personal device. Wherever they are, each has real-time information about their combined fertility and either can update the chart.

Interested in learning more? Contact a FertilityCare practitioner near you by going to the Gianna Center website or if outside of the greater Philadelphia area, click here.