What is Natural Cycles?
Natural Cycles is a form of contraception that uses an algorithm to measure a woman’s body temperature and inform her when she is fertile and when she is not. It can be used both to prevent and plan pregnancy, and is becoming increasingly popular amongst women who want an alternative to other contraceptive methods.
In this article, we’ll examine what Natural Cycles is, and discuss its effectiveness and accuracy:
Overview of Natural Cycles
Natural Cycles is a popular fertility app that uses temperature readings combined with an algorithm to help women track and predict their fertile window. It recently launched in the US and has quickly become a widely used contraception option among women. The app offers a unique approach to contraceptions as it helps women understand their body, but it may not be a good option for everyone.
The Natural Cycles app works by taking daily temperature readings and analyzing them in order to determine when a woman is most likely ovulating. The algorithm then identifies two ‘fertile windows’ each month – meaning days when unprotected intercourse could potentially lead to pregnancy – and warns users if they have unprotected sex on any of these days. Natural Cycles also offers insights into other menstrual cycle changes such as premenstrual blues, tender breasts, low libido or heightened emotions.
Designed specifically for female fertility tracking and contraception needs, Natural Cycles can be incredibly effective when used correctly. Studies suggest that the average effectiveness for Natural Cycles is 93%, which far outnumbers the typical 85% efficacy rate of typical contraceptive pills or condoms. When temperatures are taken regularly and carefully tracked in the app, it functions well as an accurate prediction tool – helping users remain aware of their own fertility throughout their cycle while still also offering other insights into women’s bodies via its notification features. However, it should be noted that there are still considerations regarding both accuracy and compliance related to this form of contraception that users should be aware of before relying solely on this form of protection against pregnancy.
Benefits of Natural Cycles
Natural Cycles is a hormone-free form of contraception. It relies on taking and recording your temperature every day, and using an algorithm to identify your monthly fertility window. Natural Cycles is intended to be used by sexually active women who want to prevent pregnancy, or who are using it as a way to determine when they have their menstrual cycle and when they are ovulating in order to help them plan a pregnancy.
The primary benefit of using Natural Cycles rather than other methods of contraceptive is that it’s hormone-free and doesn’t interfere with the natural hormonal balance of your body. Additionally, there are other advantages Natural Cycles offers:
- Increased Awareness: Unlike many forms of birth control, natural cycles increases users’ awareness about the way their bodies work throughout each month. The temperature readings the app takes can help bring an understanding of hormonal fluctuations during different phases of the menstrual cycle, which can be enormously helpful for women who experience PCOS or otherwise irregular cycles.
- High Efficacy Rate: According to research conducted by its developers, Natural Cycles has an efficacy rate comparable to that of oral birth control pills (99% when used correctly). This means that it’s as reliable as other forms of contraception with fewer side effects.
- Cost Effective: The yearly cost for use of an app like Natural Cycles is significantly cheaper than many traditional methods such as hormonal pills or IUDs which require regular checkups.
- Environmentally Friendly: The lack of any packaging associated with this method makes it more eco-friendly alternative than other methods such as condoms or the patch which generates plastic waste.
How Does Natural Cycles Work?
Natural Cycles is a contraceptive app that uses a woman’s body temperature to signal her fertility and alert her on which days are safe and unsafe for having unprotected sex. It works by monitoring her temperature and tracking her menstrual cycle. This way, the app can accurately predict a woman’s fertility window so she can make informed and proactive decisions about her contraception.
Let’s look at how it works in detail.
Temperature Tracking
Temperature tracking is the foundation of Natural Cycles’ efficacy. The Natural Cycles app uses a hormonal fertility algorithm to calculate the risk of pregnancy based on the body’s temperature patterns. Each day, users log their temperature around the same time with a special thermometer provided in the app, together with other cycle data such as period start and symptoms.
The thermometer measures your basal body temperature which reflects your body’s changing hormonal landscape during your menstrual cycle (as progesterone levels rise after ovulation). Temperature changes are used to detect ovulation and sync with other cycle readings to create an accurate and personal picture of fertility over time. Over 3 million users rely on Natural Cycles every day to help make better family planning decisions for their lives.
Ovulation and Fertile Window Tracking
Natural Cycles uses advanced algorithms to determine the days in your cycle when you are ovulating and when you are in your fertile window. It does this by tracking a combination of your basal body temperature and other cycle-related data such as menstruation start dates, bleeding information and moods.
During your personalized setup, Natural Cycles will ask you for details about yourself so that it can increase accuracy when tracking your cycle. These details include any prior pregnancies or misses of contraception as well as if you have recently taken the morning-after pill or started new contraception. Once this is done, Natural Cycles will use the data to calculate your biometric average (based on 50 days of data) which is used to make customized predictions regarding ovulation and the fertility window each month.
For maximum accuracy, Natural Cycles’ algorithms work best if users ensure that all cycle data is consistently entered correctly each day. This includes entering basal body temperature (BBT), start date of any period or spotting, information about any intercourse including use of protection, and also updated change log for anything that could affect hormones including exercise, dieting etc. This information helps provide more accurate predictions regarding ovulation and fertile windows each month. Furthermore, it enables more personalized user experience with regards to understanding both natural cycles in general as well as individual variations caused by different circumstances (such as stress level).
Cycle Analysis
[Natural Cycles](https://www.naturalcycles.com/en/) uses a combination of temperature and menstrual cycle data to estimate ovulation. A woman’s temperature increases slightly after ovulation and remains elevated until the next period is due to begin. By tracking changes in body temperature over time, it is possible to identify the optimal window for conceiving or avoiding pregnancy.
The first step of Cycle Analysis is to enter your self-measured body temperature into your Natural Cycles account with the Natural Cycles thermometer or another compatible thermometer. This data helps create an overall picture of how your cycle is progressing by looking at your daily temperatures from day to day and helps identify when you are likely ovulating (or not).
Once you have tracked a few months’ worth of data, Natural Cycles uses its proprietary algorithm to make predictions about future cycles so that you can plan in advance for best results. The algorithm takes into account:
- your individual variation in cycle length
- other factors like stress or illness that can impact reproductive hormones and their associated body temperatures
- patterns from previous cycles
to help make accurate predictions about future cycles. With continued tracking, the predictions become more reliable over time as Natural Cycles learns more about an individual’s unique regularity (or irregularity).
Is Natural Cycles Effective?
Natural Cycles is a fertility-tracking app that promises to help women better understand their body and plan for or avoid pregnancy. The app tracks your body temperature and cycle lengths, in addition to other lifestyle factors, to provide you with fertility information.
But does it really work? In this article, we’ll explore the effectiveness of Natural Cycles and what the research has to say.
Clinical Studies
Clinical studies on the effectiveness of Natural Cycles have produced mixed results. In one study conducted at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute, it was found to be 93% effective in preventing pregnancy among women with regular cycles. Similarly, a study conducted in Europe showed that it reduced unintended pregnancies among users by 95%. However, these results were later discredited when the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMA) reported that the conclusions did not reflect accuracy of Natural Cycles’ stated efficacy.
The reliability of Natural Cycles has also been criticized for its limited ability to identify ovulation based on its algorithm. While analyzing temperature shifts can help pinpoint ovulation accurately, this is only useful with highly consistent and regular cycles – making it difficult for women who have irregular or missing periods to use Natural Cycles effectively. Additionally, other lifestyle factors that influence fertility such as stress and diet can potentially interfere with accuracy and effectiveness.
User Reviews
Natural Cycles is a digital birth control method that relies on basal body temperature measurements during the fertility window. The mobile app collects data from daily temperature readings and uses a proprietary algorithm to determine when a user is most fertile. This data is used to accurately predict ovulation, ultimately helping users plan for or prevent pregnancy.
The effectiveness of Natural Cycles is highly dependent on the accuracy of individual users, meaning successful use requires reliable input from the app’s users. To evaluate the effectiveness of this digital birth control method, we need to look at user reviews related to Natural Cycles.
User reviews for Natural Cycles suggest that overall it’s an effective method of birth control as long as it’s used exactly as instructed and consistently monitored. Users who consistently tracked their cycle and followed instructions have been largely successful in either avoiding pregnancy or getting pregnant quickly. On the flip side, some users have reported that they have had unplanned pregnancies while using Natural Cycles; however, these appear to be cases where instructions were not strictly followed or input was inconsistent due to negligence or forgetfulness.
Ultimately, Natural Cycles works best when it’s used correctly and consistently according to instructions; however there are still no guarantees when it comes to preventing pregnancy. As with any birth control method, there are always risks of unintended pregnancies which should be taken into account before deciding if Natural Cycles is right for you.
Pros and Cons of Natural Cycles
Natural cycles, like the menstrual cycle, can be a powerful choice for those hoping to get pregnant or avoid pregnancy. Natural cycles use assessments of daily temperature, hormone levels, and other variables to predict ovulation and fertility. But like any method, there are some pros and cons to consider before you decide if natural cycles are right for you. Here, we will discuss the pros and cons of natural cycles and help you make an informed decision.
Pros
Using a natural cycle has many benefits. Natural contraception can provide an effective method of birth control and can also reduce the risk of medical complications, such as hormone-related cancers, that are caused by other forms of contraception.
Natural contraception promotes optimal fertility and is free from the side effects of synthetic hormones. It does not involve ingesting or introducing any artificial hormones into the body and doesn’t interfere with breast-feeding or cause health problems like weight gain or blood clots. This type of contraception is much more flexible than other methods since you can choose when to start and stop your cycle, depending on when you feel it’s safe to become pregnant.
Additionally, natural contraception allows women to monitor their own fertility, giving them greater control over their reproductive choices. Women who use this method will increase their knowledge about their monthly cycles, including factors that could affect conception levels, such as stress and diet changes. This greater awareness encourages conversations about fertility issues with partners and healthcare providers. Using natural contraception helps women understand why and when pregnancy occurs as well as how to maximize conception chances during ovulation days if they choose to become pregnant in the future.
Natural Contraception also plays an important role in environmental health and environmental responsibility by reducing plastic waste created by synthetic hormone medication packaging. Pollution reduction efforts are becoming increasingly important worldwide.
Cons
There are a few drawbacks to using Natural Cycles, especially for those who may have difficulty relying on their own bodies or have experienced frequent or irregular cycles.
- Irregular menstrual cycles can make it difficult to accurately track fertility with this app since its accuracy relies on entering exactly when your period begins.
- Natural Cycles does not use urine tests, so you must be aware of the specific changes in your body’s temperature throughout your cycle in order to successfully use this method.
- Approximately 7% of women saw false positives, indicating they were “not fertile” during the time they actually were (2). This could lead to risking pregnancy, either desired or undesired depending on the circumstances.
- It is also important to note that hormonal changes due to certain medications (including certain types of contraceptives) and health issues can also impact this app’s accuracy and effectiveness (1).
Conclusion
In conclusion, natural cycles can provide a safe and effective method for contraception for certain people. Its effectiveness depends on several factors, including consistency of use and user’s understanding of natural fertility cycles. Natural methods are not suitable for people who are at an increased risk of an unplanned pregnancy.
However, if done correctly, natural methods can be a reliable form of birth control when used along with other methods like condom use or barrier contraception. In addition to this, many people find natural methods to be more convenient than other birth control methods because it is hormone-free and does not require additional doctor’s visits or blood tests to maintain effectiveness. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to decide which form of contraception is best suited for their lifestyle and needs.