Evaluating Natural Cycles: Is it Effective?
Natural Cycles is a smartphone app designed to help individuals plan or prevent pregnancy by tracking fertility. The app, available on iOS and Android devices, offers three subscription plans: birth control, plan pregnancy, and follow pregnancy.
The app works by tracking basal body temperature and cycle data, using a proprietary algorithm to predict fertile (red) and non-fertile (green) days. On red days, users should abstain or use barrier protection to avoid pregnancy.
Natural Cycles is FDA-cleared and has CE marking, making it a viable option for those seeking a hormone-free method of family planning. However, it's important to note that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved it unless otherwise indicated, and nobody at Medical News Today has evaluated these apps for medical accuracy.
Effectiveness of Natural Cycles is about 93% with typical use and 98% with perfect use in preventing pregnancy, making it comparable but generally less effective than hormonal contraceptives like the pill or IUDs under typical use conditions.
Key factors influencing its accuracy include user adherence, algorithm predictions, use of barrier methods vs abstinence, and user training. Consistently measuring basal body temperature every day and following app guidance on fertile days are crucial for maintaining accuracy.
However, the algorithm may prematurely classify fertile windows as closed, potentially exposing users to risk if relying solely on the app’s green day indication without using condoms or abstaining during red days. The choice of protective behavior on fertile days can also influence overall effectiveness.
Natural Cycles requires a basal thermometer, which can be purchased separately for $39.99 or included with an annual subscription. The monthly subscription costs $14.99, while the annual subscription costs $9.99 and includes a free basal thermometer.
Individuals can cancel their membership at any time, but may not receive a full refund if they have already paid for the month. Natural Cycles partners with Oura, a wearable ring, and offers discounted prices for those who own an Oura ring.
Natural Cycles has an average customer rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on its Trustpilot page. Positive reviews frequently comment on the product's effectiveness and good customer service, while negative reviews mostly cite refund issues and unplanned pregnancies. People can use their FSA or HSA cards to pay for a Natural Cycles subscription.
Compared to other methods, Natural Cycles is a 100% hormone-free, non-invasive option appealing to those avoiding hormones, but it demands commitment to daily measurements and strict adherence to fertile day precautions.
Environmental factors can affect the accuracy of temperature readings, making it harder to determine ovulation accurately. It can take several cycles for Natural Cycles to provide more accurate fertile window information.
In conclusion, Natural Cycles offers a hormonally safe method with moderate effectiveness comparable to fertility awareness methods, but its accuracy is highly user-dependent and influenced by consistent data input, algorithm limitations, and the choice of protective behavior on fertile days.
- For those who prefer a hormone-free method of family planning, Natural Cycles smartphone app offers an alternative, as it is FDA-cleared and CE-marked.
- To maintain the accuracy of Natural Cycles, users are advised to measure basal body temperature daily and follow the app's guidance on fertile days.
- The effectiveness of Natural Cycles is about 93% with typical use and 98% with perfect use in preventing pregnancy, making it comparable to hormonal contraceptives under typical use conditions.
- The algorithm used by Natural Cycles may sometimes prematurely classify fertile windows as closed, potentially exposing users to risk if they rely only on the app's green day indication without using condoms or abstaining during red days.
- For individuals seeking a hassle-free experience with Natural Cycles, the app partners with Oura, a wearable ring, offering discounted prices for Oura ring owners.
