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Health Canada has officially approved the Natural Cycles birth control app to be marketed and marketed as a form of birth control.
The app, previously approved as a fertility tracker in Canada, is the only digital contraception and the first app of its kind to receive a Class II medical device license from the federal agency. It markets itself as allowing users to “prevent and plan pregnancies naturally.”
According to a release, it has more than three million users worldwide; it has been approved by the US FDA since 2018 and in Europe since 2017.
“Our mission has always been to reach as many women as possible and with our latest regulatory approval from Health Canada, the Natural Cycles app is now accessible to more than 380 million women worldwide,” said Natural Cycles co-founder and CEO Dr. Elina. Berglund Scherwitzl, in issue.
But how exactly does this app work, and do Canadian health experts recommend it? Here’s what you need to know.
What is ‘Natural Cycles’ and how does it work?
Natural Cycles is an app and a regulated medical device used to prevent and plan pregnancy, without hormones or side effects.
Users of the app are asked to take their temperature at night or in the morning, log into the app and confirm their fertility status. If you are fertile (characterized by a Green Day), you do not need to use protection. On a Red Day (which means fertile), protection is recommended.
“Our hormones cause body temperature to rise around ovulation. By analyzing this we can determine where you are in your cycle,” the app explains.
This is how cycle tracking works in the app, according to Natural Cycles:
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Your cycle starts on the first day of your period (Green Days)
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As ovulation approaches, you enter the fertile window (red days)
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After ovulation, your temperature rises and you are no longer fertile (Green Days)
Dr. Amanda Black, president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, explains Yahoo Canada the app is considered a Fertility Awareness Method (FAM).
“It works by estimating the days when a woman is likely to be fertile – likely to become pregnant if she has intercourse – based on her body temperature and her menstrual cycle,” Black explained in an email, adding that there is “ is a small increase.” “in body temperature around the ovulation phase.
“People who could become pregnant should avoid sexual intercourse (or use condoms) on these fertile days if they want to avoid becoming pregnant.”
How effective is the app as contraception?
According to Natural Cycles, the app is 93 percent effective as contraception with normal use, and 98 percent effective with perfect use. This means that on average seven out of every hundred users will become pregnant within a year.
Before the FDA approval in 2018, Natural Cycles analyzed 180,000 menstrual cycles from 15,000 women to obtain this data. As explained on the website, typical use “includes all unintended pregnancies and reflects the way a method is used in everyday life,” while perfect use “includes pregnancies caused by the failure of the method, and thus reflects its effectiveness when used perfectly.”
Compared to a hormonal contraceptive pill, the app is comparable in terms of normal use. Planned Parenthood outlines, “If you use it perfectly, the pill is 99 percent effective. But people aren’t perfect and it’s easy to forget or skip pills — so in reality the pill is about 93 percent effective.”
The app is also more effective compared to typical condom use (87 percent effectiveness) or the pull-out method (80 percent effectiveness with typical use).
Patients who really need to avoid pregnancy…may be better off with another method of contraception.Dr. Amanda Black
However, Black explained that across all contraceptive methods, FAM is often “one of the less effective” contraceptive methods.
“They tend to work best in women who have a very predictable menstrual cycle and who stick to avoiding intercourse or using condoms on fertile days and around that time,” she claimed. “Sperm can live for up to five days before ovulation, so if you have had intercourse two days before ovulation, there is a possibility that you could become pregnant.”
OBGYN’s added IUDs and implants are “much more reliable” as contraceptives.
Is this app recommended as primary contraception for Canadians?
According to Black, it is important that Canadians are aware of all contraceptive options – including FAM (like the app). But that doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone.
“For some women, an unintended pregnancy can be devastating for medical or personal reasons (or both). For those patients, a more effective method of contraception may be a much better option,” Black said. For those who are more ambivalent about pregnancy – ‘if it happens, it happens’ – less effective methods might work.
Patients who want to avoid hormones can also look at copper IUDs which are effective, and “highly motivated patients with regular cycles” can consider FAM. It’s a fair choice for people “who have a predictable menstrual cycle” and “want to avoid other methods of contraception.”
But, the expert warned, no matter which method of contraception a person chooses, condoms are still recommended to prevent STDs.
While Natural Cycles can be used to prevent pregnancy, Black added that it is very useful as a fertility aid in helping patients conceive.
Yahoo Canada has contacted Health Canada for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
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