Progesterone as a new actor : women’s experiences of using a fertility app hormone tracking system while trying to conceive : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Abstract

For many people, trying to conceive for a baby is a time filled with uncertainty and hope. Fertility apps can provide comfort and information during this time. However, self-monitoring can also intensify distress, and the sense of responsibility can become burdensome. Recent apps employ at-home progesterone hormone monitoring through urine testing (similar to at-home pregnancy tests), making previously hidden internal reproductive processes visible and known. In a sense, hormone testing once confined to the laboratory is now carried out by people in their own homes. Importantly, there is no psychological research on the experiences that are created while using this at-home hormone tracking technology. Therefore, this thesis addresses a gap in the research by exploring users’ experiences of at-home progesterone tracking technology while trying to conceive. Theoretically, this study argues for the use of feminist new materialism to understand how reproductive bodies are produced in relation to self-tracking technologies. Practically, it aims to understand what experiences and understandings are created through such entanglements with hormone tracking technology. Five participants who were trying to conceive tracked their menstrual cycle using a fertility app progesterone hormone monitoring system (Proov). Diary entries and semi-structured interviews were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis informed by feminist new materialism. Progesterone, as a new actor within the trying to conceive assemblage, created new ways of knowing and experiencing the body. Progesterone became an agent for change, within a context of limited medical support and the largely uncontrollable process of trying to conceive. Yet, this newfound sense of agency was ambivalent and required considerable effort from participants. As a new hormone to track, progesterone reconfigured the body into a well-functioning environment conducive to pregnancy, and brought a previously concealed biological process of ‘implantation’ into a lived reality. Progesterone created a new phase with new challenges and opportunities to know the body better, which ultimately changed how participants experienced time. Finally, new affective experiences were created that were inseparable from the very practice of progesterone tracking. Anxiety was felt episodically through unclear outcomes that were drip-fed over time. Hope was materialized into something tangible and concrete when new progesterone thresholds were met. Overall, this study demonstrates through the use of feminist new materialism theory, the addition of a new hormone does not simply equate to greater fertility literacy or awareness. Rather, progesterone, as a non-human actor, was significantly involved in producing new ways of knowing, feeling, and experiencing the reproductive body.