Health Canada has officially approved the Natural Cycles contraceptive app. Should I use it to prevent pregnancy?

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Health Canada has officially approved the Natural Cycles contraceptive app to be marketed and sold as a form of birth control.

The app, previously approved as a fertility tracker in Canada, is the only digital contraceptive method and the first app of its kind to obtain a Class II medical device license from the federal agency. It promotes itself as a medium that allows users to “prevent and plan pregnancy naturally.”

According to a statement, it has more than three million users around the world; 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 clearance from Health Canada, the Natural Cycles app is now accessible to over 380 million women around the world,” said co-founder and CEO from Natural Cycles, Dr. Elina. Berglund Scherwitzl, in the statement.

But how exactly does this app work? 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 a regulated medical device and app used to prevent and plan pregnancy, without hormones or side effects.

App users are asked to measure their temperature overnight or in the morning, log into the app, and confirm their fertility status. If you are fertile (marked by a Green Day), you do not need to use protection. On a Red Day (meaning fertile), protection is recommended.

“Our hormones cause your body temperature to rise around ovulation. By analyzing this, we can determine what stage of your cycle you are at,” the app explained.

Here’s how in-app cycle tracking works, according to Natural Cycles:

1. Your cycle begins on the first day of your period (Green Days)

2. As ovulation approaches you enter the fertile window (Red Days)

3. After ovulation your temperature rises and you are no longer fertile (Green Days)

The story continues

Dr. Amanda Black, president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, says 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 get pregnant if she has sex) based on her body temperature and menstrual cycle,” Black explained in an email, adding that there is “a minor increase”. ” in body temperature around the ovulation stage.

“People of pregnancy potential should avoid sexual intercourse (or use condoms) on these fertile days if they want to avoid becoming pregnant.”

How effective is the application as a contraceptive method?

According to Natural Cycles, the app is 93 percent effective as a birth control method with typical use and 98 percent effective with perfect use. This means that, on average, seven out of every 100 users will become pregnant within a year.

For its FDA approval in 2018, Natural Cycles analyzed 180,000 menstrual cycles from 15,000 women to obtain this data. As explained on their website, typical use “includes all unwanted pregnancies and reflects the way a method is used in everyday life,” while perfect use “includes pregnancies caused by method failure , and therefore reflects effectiveness when used perfectly.”

Compared to a hormonal birth control pill, the app is on par in terms of typical use. Planned Parenthood noted: “If used perfectly, the pill is about 99 percent effective. But people aren’t perfect and it’s easy to forget or skip pills, so the pill is actually about 93 percent effective. hundred”.

The application is also more effective compared to typical condom use (87 percent effective) or the pull-out method (80 percent effective with typical use).

However, Black explained that of all birth control methods, FAM tends to be “one of the least effective birth control methods.”

“They tend to work best for women who have very predictable menstrual cycles and who comply with avoiding sex or using condoms on fertile days and in the window around that time,” she said. “Sperm can live up to five days before ovulation, so if you have had sex two days before ovulation, there is a chance of getting pregnant.”

The OBGYN added that IUDs and implants are “much more reliable” as contraceptives.

Is this app recommended as a primary method of contraception for Canadians?

According to Black, it is important for Canadians to be 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 unwanted 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 may work.

Patients who want to avoid hormones can also look for effective copper IUDs, and “highly motivated patients with regular cycles” can consider FAM. It is a fair choice for those “who have predictable menstrual cycles” and “want to avoid other methods of contraception.”

But, the expert warned, whatever contraceptive method a person chooses, condoms are still recommended to prevent STIs.

While Natural Cycles can be used to prevent pregnancy, Black added that it tends to be very useful as a fertility aid and in helping patients conceive.

Yahoo Canada contacted Health Canada for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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