Pregnancy setting/mode for more accurate data

[JLMD]

Necessary:

Logging a pregnancy is a must, as is the ammenorheic period due to breastfeeding.  These drastically affect predictions making the app useless for many.  Eg. I have entered my data since 2011.  My periods are like clock work occurring every 27 days... but I have had 4 pregnancies in that time so the app is telling me that my peiods average every 104 days.

Useful:

Option to add basal body temp and ovulation data (eg. predictor strip).

Moderator edit: title

[tnlewis2016]

Here in 2020 and we still can't let the app know we are pregnant?! My calories are going to be more than recommended, my steps are going down during the morning sickness months, my weight is going up.. all NORMAL to a pregnant woman, but I can't help but feel chastised by the fitbit app.

[MaineMama83]

Yes, women's health needs more options.

• Conception
  • Track basil body temperature to help track ovulation
• Pregnancy
  • Enter date of last period as well as due date - this will account for no period during this time
  • Pre-pregnancy weight
  • Pregnancy target weight goal (this should be manually input as every woman is different; there are charts based on BMI but often women have different requirements which should be set by the provider)
• Postpartum
  • Nursing/Pumping toggle - on/off (accounts for extra caloric intake needed; woman can manually enter the extra caloric intake expected due to this - again, this should be set with the provider as every woman is different even if there is a standard)
  • Simple mood tracking - this could help women identify postpartum depression/anxiety beyond "baby blues"
  • Pumping session start/stop with amount from each side
  • Bottle/Nursing session
  • Diaper changes
  • Sleep tracking for infant (timer start/stop)

Note that there seems to be a clock face already for the last three bullet points. It's a nice calendar too, but it doesn't seem to actually be supported any longer. It also does not sync into the FitBit phone app anywhere. It's called the "New Parent" clock face and was created by FitBit labs. It has great settings as far as sleep goals for the child, feeding type, units you use (oz, etc.) and milk goals. It says support for the clock face was retired on 6/15/19 and I'm curious why. It has real potential, especially if a pumping option is added in.

• Perimenopause/Menopause
  • Cycles vary significantly during this period and do not tend to follow a "set" number of days between periods; ability to edit start and end dates of actual periods
  • Simple mood tracking
  • Simple flow tracking (light, medium, heavy)

[Ksavo]

Can someone please explain why we can now add ovulation test but we still cant add a pregnancy? This is something that definitely needs to be fixed. Even if you can’t track your pregnancy with it you should be able to at least put your “cycle” into pregnancy mode to turn your cycle predictions off at the very least. There is nothing more annoying than your watch/app constantly telling you you’re x-days late or trying to add a period 

[MMM94]

Yes, PLEASE add a pregancy mode! Many other health and period-tracking apps began without a pregnancy mode, but almost all of them have added it by now. I see I'm a year and a half late to this comment thread, but nothing has changed. 

I just got my first FitBit, and I'm 34 weeks pregnant. I was appalled that I couldn't tell the app that I'm pregnant! "Are you or could you be pregnant?" is one of the first questions any doctor or nurse asks before provide care to a woman. What is my FitBit going to think when I suddenly lose about 15 pounds in one day, next month? (That's baby + placenta + amniotic fluid.) 

[SunsetRunner]

These ladies are all giving great ideas, I'm sutprised it still hasn't been done. 

Here's articles with detailed descriptions on calories burnt that a model program could be built around.

So just plug your number of ounces in the below breastfeeding calorie burn calculation formula:

 (# of oz * 20)/0.8 = Total Breastfeeding Calories

Here’s the metric system version:

(# of ml * .68)/0.8 = Total Breastfeeding Calories

So for women like me who have to exclusively pump, I know I produce around 54 oz a day.

Following the formula equation:

(54 * 20)/ .8 = 1,350. Even if I round down to the lowest common denominator and say 1,000 that's quite a bit of a difference in input and output of calories.

 https://pumpingmamas.com/how-many-calories-does-breastfeeding-burn/

https://exclusivepumping.com/how-many-extra-calories-breastfeeding-weight-loss/

[MMarieW]

I absolutely agree we need the options to set/track when pregnant and breastfeeding! Right now, other than logging my water and daily activity (and food for the purpose of see how much protein etc. I eat), it's really not useful to me for the weight loss or maintenance aspect. Adding breastfeeding as an activity would help tremendously for more accurate calorie burn. Plus logging your weight while pregnant (and SUPPOSED to be gaining) seems like a very negative thing in the app as it is currently. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are important and a huge demographic you're not serving right now.

[erbaxter]

It's ridiculous at this point. I LOVE my FitBit and all the other info it
provides but it's absurd not to support pregnant and breastfeeding women
with some features. The "Female Health" bit is a joke.

[Silverbirch91]

Since breastfeeding burns an additional 300-500 calories a day over a normal basal metabolic rate, for those of us breastfeeding, FitBit’s calorie estimation can drop so dangerously low as to threaten milk supply. So far the only way around this is to log breastfeeding as a custom activity, messing up my record of how many days a week I exercise. I want to lose weight, but do so safely and while maintaining milk supply. I imagine many many users are people who may get pregnant or lactate, and currently this app is not designed for them. I love my FitBit but I don’t love that it makes me feel like an aberration because I have a baby to whom I feed breastmilk. 

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @Silverbirch91, thanks for explaining why you would like to have this option. I've moved it into a similar suggestion which has been updated as "Under Consideration". You can learn more about here. Keep adding your suggestions!

[alissackane]

I would love to see a breastfeeding option to increase the required calorie intake. At the very least, include an option to manually enter desired calories. Currently, if I track my food it says I have eaten too much. I would like to accurately track the calories I need to eat to keep my supply but also lose weight and eat the appropriate macros. FitBit is missing a large market by not yet including pregnant and breastfeeding moms in the app.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @alissackane, thanks for explaining why you would like to have this option. I've moved it into a similar suggestion which has been updated as "Under Consideration". You can learn more about here. Keep adding your suggestions!

[NikaK]

Based on many conversations within the pregnancy community forum, there is a lot of demand to be able to update health status to pregnant (and subsequently remove that status when appropriate). This would help a lot of females declare no need for the female health tracker, but also help contextualize changes in heart rate, sleep, exercise intensities, weight gain, etc. I think this would be a great support for many females who are dedicated Fitbit customers, such as myself. We appreciate Fitbit's continual efforts and innovations in furthering their services and improving their products, thank you!

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @NikaK. Thanks for explaining why you'd like to see a pregnancy setting in the Fitbit app with us! I've moved it into a similar suggestion which has been updated as "Under Consideration". You can check this other suggestion here. Keep adding your suggestions!

[megbringh]

As a young mother using Fitbit and the tracking app, I find it helpful to use some of the features for "Female Health" but there are a few improvements which would greatly improve this feature. I'm adding my voice as a drop in the bucket hoping that after all these years, the FitBit producers will put out something truly helpful! The modifications I think are most needed include: ability to edit ovulation day, recording confirmed pregnancy, holding off on predicted periods until first cycle after pregnancy is recorded. Subsequently a more accurate calculation of periods, their average lengths and so forth will be provided to users. 

[Muskelmarie]

There should be a way to put in that you are pregnant in the female health portion of the app. Starting to think that this part of the app was designed by a man...it only tracks your period and fertile times, but not when you actually get pregnant?

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @Muskelmarie. Thanks for taking the time to share your idea about including a pregnancy setting in the Female Health App with us! I've moved it into a similar suggestion which has been updated as "Under Consideration". You can check this other suggestion here. Keep adding your suggestions!

[SunsetRunner]

To give you an idea of how useless Fitbit becomes without any pregnancy mode when you're pregnant - I'm in my 3rd trimester, so obviously my resting heart rate is quite high. While being in the heat yesterday (middle of Australian summer) my heart rate was elevated and got into the fat burn zone (for a non-pregnant women my age) and so my Charge 3 recorded 39min of outdoor biking 😂 for most of the time I was not even walking. 

[Jojo_95]

The period tracker is great, but there should be a pregnant option, like even a positive test. 

Also a comment section for other things to note that arent included would be nice.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @Jojo_95, thanks for explaining why you would like to have this option. I've moved it into a similar suggestion which has been updated as "Under Consideration". You can learn more about here. Keep adding your suggestions!

[annekamble]

Couldn’t fitbit at least add an option to pause period statistics during pregnancy so that the trends aren’t disturbed? Really dissapointed that fitbit does not take female health more seriously and will not recommend it to anyone. I suggest you hire more women...

[Sweetgiamarie]

Period tracking has been a feature for a while, it would be nice to be able to let Fitbit know you’re pregnant and won’t be having that period for a while. Pregnancy also makes weight gain an expected thing, changes heart rates for a while so it would be cool if there was some a way to reflect that. 

[EdsonFitbit]

Hi @Sweetgiamarie, thanks for taking the time to share your feedback about having a pregnancy button. This feature suggestion already exists so I’ve moved your post here to keep this board organized.

[SunsetRunner]

Im hoping that fit bit will add an option to put down in your health that a woman is pregnant. Pregnancy effects the calorie intake. The heart rate. Sleeping. Everything. When we breastfeed there is no option to log breastfeeding. This act alone can burn up to 500 calories! Please add pregnancy options to your fitbit. 

[MelissaSueB]

I suggest adding pregnancy as part of the female health tracker.

[ytakposer]

Is this still in the works? It's insane to me that it hasn't already been added. I agree with others about adding breastfeeding as an option, too. It drastically affects my calorie counts, if I'm doing either of those things.