It's been a big year for advances in the world of fertility and pregnancy - from news of a male pill that works in minutes and lasts for days (you can expect that one by 2021), to the study that confirmed a link between the Pill and depression.
Add to this a host of exciting apps and gadgets, for everything from pinpointing fertility to monitoring baby's heartbeat in the womb, and it's been a pretty good 12 months for baby makers, but what's next?
We asked fertility entrepreneur Dr Elina Berglund, CTO and co-founder of
Natural Cycles fertility tracking app, to predict the major fertility and pregnancy trends to look out for in 2017.
1. More women will abstain from The Pill
In 2016 the University of Copenhagen published results from the largest study of its kind which confirmed a link between hormonal contraceptives and depression. In 2017 the debate around the effects of The Pill will revive and more information will be needed so women can better understand the impact of hormonal contraception.
2. Rising interest in technology-assisted natural contraception
Interest in hormone-free birth control alternatives will rise in 2017. Women will explore more natural ways to manage their contraception.
3. Technology will drive innovation in contraception
Whilst the pharmaceutical industry is retracting funding from contraception, foundations will continue to give money to research in this field. Funding will also be directed to technology companies which are investing in clinical studies and new tech platforms e.g. apps, wearable tech and hardware to be used to track fertility. This will help women better understand their bodies and pinpoint, with precision, when they are fertile so they can plan or prevent a pregnancy - as well as identifying potential fertility problems early on.
4. Women will use apps and IVF for planning pregnancies and egg freezing
With advances in technology and a better understanding of one’s body, women will use new platforms and insights to accurately plan when to get pregnant which will help them better balance other aspects of their lives e.g. ageing, career and life in general, but also use the information for infertile couples to accelerate IVF treatment. IVF will also expand its user base to include healthy women for egg freezing.
5. More regulations and user safety
2017 will see an upward trend in the way technology and hardware for contraception is regulated. Regulation around data privacy will also ensure that user data and security remains paramount.
6. Women will get pregnant later in life
According to the Office of National Statistics in 2016, pregnancy rates were higher among over-40s than under-20s for first time since 1947. This trend is set to continue as the current financial position of households and concerns about the economy, welfare and unemployment, are all factors which affect the timing of childbearing for women.
Have you used a fertility or pregnancy app? Let us know which one on Twitter @HerFamilydotie. 
