Health data in fertility care: An ecological perspective

Abstract

Fertility tracking and technology are characterized by logging var-ied health-related data potentially associated with female fertility cycles. Such data are often seen as private and restricted to the individual level. We conducted an interview study with 21 people (16 in the U.S.) facing challenges to conceive and 5 U.S. healthcare providers specialized in infertility to analyze (in)fertility experi-ences with data. Our fndings suggest that although fertility data are considered personal and private, they are embedded in larger eco-logical systems of use, infuencing and being infuenced by diferent stakeholders, institutional contexts, and sociocultural factors. Lever-aging the Ecological Systems Theory, we analyze the relationships and factors shaping individuals' fertility trajectories, discussing how the diferent layers infuence the work individuals have to engage and the burden imposed on them through various social, institutional, and cultural boundaries. We propose an ecological perspective on fertility data practices and discuss opportunities to counter-infuence broader environmental systems through data tracking.